Is chocolate really good for you?
Earlier this week, Medical News Today reported on a study published in the journal Heart, in which researchers from the UK claim eating up to 100 g of chocolate daily may reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Great news, said one of our followers on Facebook in response to this research. Good, because I cant live without chocolate, I eat it daily! said another. Such comments are common in relation to any stories hailing the health benefits of chocolate. Many people like to hear good news about a food deemed to be a guilty pleasure. Naturally, it makes many people feel better about eating it.
Other MNT readers, however, were not convinced by the claims of the Heart study, with some questioning how chocolate could possibly have that effect on health when it contains high levels of fat and sugar, while others stated it must have been funded by a chocolate manufacturer. It was, in fact, funded by the UKs Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK.
The difference in opinion about that study is a reflection of the confusion among the general public about whether chocolate really offers health benefits.
In this Spotlight, we ask, can chocolate really be good for our health? Or are the potential health benefits of this much-loved treat overstated?
When we think of chocolate, many of us visualize a big, chunky bar of sweet deliciousness. But originally, chocolate was only consumed as a bitter beverage.
Chocolate - which is made using beans from the cacao tree, native to Central and South America - is estimated to date back as far as 1900 BC, when it was created by pre-Olmec cultures residing in present-day Mexico. The ancient Mesoamericans roasted the cacao beans, or cocoa beans, before grinding them into a paste that was mixed with hot water, vanilla, chili and other spices to make a frothy drink.
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