Recent headlines give chocolate lovers a reason to rejoice:
“Chocolate, It’s Good For Your Heart, Study Finds”
Wow, and the fountain of life must be made of chocolate, too.
Chocolate has been getting good press lately—and there is truth to it. But the Harvard Women’s Health Watch puts the coverage into perspective.
“This treat is fine in small quantities, but its benefits for heart and brain health are still unproven,” reads a recent post.
The overall point is that the studies that have been done recently are simply observational—they haven’t proven a cause and effect yet. The potential benefit of chocolate is actually found in the bioactive compounds called flavanols in the coco bean. More research is being done about exactly how flavanols are good for the body.
In the meantime, watch out how much chocolate you are eating. The number of calories you’re ingesting can offset any benefits.
We’re sorry to kill your dreams of an all-chocolate diet.
