Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support:

I recently returned from an overseas family trip which was both exciting and a little daunting to plan. My husband and I discussed the snacks we needed to pack for the plane. Twenty four hours of travel requires a fair number of snacks but the one I was most invested in remembering to pack was my dark chocolate. A square or two a day of dark chocolate is my very favorite treat.

The great news is that dark chocolate is a wonderfully health promoting food. It is a very rich source of antioxidants called flavanols which are found in many fruits and vegetables. It also contains high levels of other antioxidants like quercetin and epicatechin.

The antioxidant potential of food is often measured by a score called ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity). Examples of foods with high ORAC scores include blueberries and green tea. Dark chocolate has a significantly higher ORAC number than both blueberries and green tea.

This antioxidant potential means that dark chocolate can be very protective for our arteries and reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. A German observational study that followed 20,000 middle aged men and women for 10 years detected a 39 percent decrease in risk of stroke and heart attack in those who ate a small square of dark chocolate each day.

The dark chocolate seems to achieve these results by reducing blood clotting, lowering C-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation that is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke) and reducing blood pressure. There are many studies that have shown these effects in different countries and among different aged populations.

A study at Oxford University showed that dark chocolate may protect older adults from cognitive decline. It may actually increase blood flow to the brain and thus enhance cognitive function.

The studies on dark chocolate continue and the results are consistently exciting. But before you rush out and eat a slab of chocolate each day, make sure you are clear on the following:

• The health benefits pertain only to dark chocolate – and the darker the better. The research tends to be on dark chocolate that has a 70% cocoa content or higher. Milk chocolate is higher in sugar and calories and the milk may interfere with your ability to absorb the antioxidants.
• Look for dark chocolate with as few ingredients as possible – avoid artificial sweeteners and artificial flavors.
• All chocolate contains calories and is very palatable and thus easy to overeat. You will offset the health benefits if you are eating too much chocolate and gaining weight.
• Enjoy eating antioxidants from a wide variety of foods – don’t rely on any one food for your antioxidant intake. So dip some strawberries into a little dark chocolate, or stir some cocoa into your next blueberry and banana smoothie and enjoy!