Chocolate !

[Tim Wescott]

Here`s a diet I would have no trouble sticking with!!


A Dark Chocolate a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Daily Dark Chocolate Good for the Heart, Loaded With
Flavinoids

By_Daniel_DeNoon_ Reviewed By_Brunilda _Nazario,_MD on
Tuesday, June 01, 2004 WebMD Medical News_

Here's news that's hard not to like. Eating a small, 1.6-
ounce bar of dark chocolate every day is good for you. Very
good for you, find Mary Engler, PhD, RN, of the University
of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.

Now here is a medical experiment you would love to volunteer
for. Engler's team divided 21 healthy adults into two
groups. One group got a Dove Dark Chocolate bar every day
for two weeks. Like other dark chocolate bars with high-
cocoa content, this one is loaded with something called
epicatechin. Epicatechin is a particularly active member of
a group of compounds called plant flavonoids. flavonoids
keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the
risk of blood clots, and slow down the immune responses that
lead to clogged arteries.

The second group that didn't get Dove bars wasn't totally
left out. They, too, got dark chocolate bars. But their
treats had the flavonoids taken out.

All subjects underwent high-tech evaluation of how well the
blood vessels dilate and relax -- an indictor of healthy
blood vessel function.

Blood vessel stiffness indicates diseased vessels and
possible atherosclerosis. Those who got the full-flavonoid
chocolate did significantly better. Why? Blood tests showed
that high levels of epicatechin were coursing through their
arteries.

"This is the longest clinical trial to date to show
improvement in blood vessel function from consuming
flavonoid-rich dark chocolate daily over an extended period
of time," Engler says in a news release. "It is likely that
the elevated blood levels of epicatechin triggered the
release of active substances that ... increase blood flow in
the artery. Better blood flow is good for your heart."

Why Dark Chocolate Is Different

Not all chocolate is created equal. Dark chocolate contains
a lot more cocoa than other forms of chocolate. And standard
chocolate manufacturing destroys up to half of the
flavonoids. But chocolate companies have now learned to make
dark chocolate that keeps up to 95% of its flavonoids.

Sure, this seems like a scam. Can't you get more and better
flavonoids from other foods? Surprisingly, the answer is
"not really." Engler says that dark chocolate contains more
flavonoids than any other food --including green tea, black
tea, red wine, and blueberries.

"Many people don't realize that chocolate is plant-derived,
as are the fruits and vegetables recommended for a healthy
heart," Engler says. While a little dark chocolate is good,
a lot is not better. Chocolate still is loaded with
calories. If you're going to eat more chocolate, you'll have
to cut back somewhere else. And remember that a balanced
diet -- and plenty of exercise -- is still the key to heart
health.

Engler's study was funded by the University of California,
San Francisco, School of Nursing. The American Cocoa
Research Institute, a nonprofit group funded by the
chocolate industry, provided the chocolate used in the
study.

The findings appear in the June issue of the Journal of the
American College of Nutrition. Engler previously reported
the findings at the 2002 Scientific Sessions of the American
Heart Association and at the Experimental Biology 2003
meeting.

SOURCES: Engler, M.B. Journal of the American College of
Nutrition, June 2004; vol 23: pp 197-204. News release,
University of California, San Francisco.