PHARMACIST : Are chocolate pills the future?

Chocolate, chocolate and even more chocolate. We all love chocolate. However, does it have any health benefits and will we see chocolate pills in the future?

Research has shown chocolate has numerous benefits ranging from cardiovascular to temporary anti-depressant properties. There are numerous ingredients in chocolate. Yet, there is one ingredient that scientists are currently researching on to learn of its health benefits. It is called “Flavonoids”.

Flavonoids help protect plants from environmental toxins and help repair damage. They are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Chocolate has a specific type of flavonoid called flavanols which apart from having antioxidant properties also has potential benefits on vascular health such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the heart and brain and also reducing clots by making blood platelets less sticky. Studies are currently being conducted to investigate the long term benefits of flavanols in actually reducing the risk of heart attack, strokes and cognitive decline.

Another beneficial component in chocolate that comes from cocoa butter is “Oleic acid”. This is a healthy Omega-9 mono-saturated fatty acid that is also found in numerous other products including olive oil. According to certain studies, Oleic acid has been known to have beneficial effects on cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Research also shows that chocolate has anti-depressant properties. In a study conducted in 3000 people, half of the people with depression craved chocolate and among them 60 percent found that chocolate improved their mood when they were depressed.

This is believed to be because of the endorphins and opioids found in chocolate that make people relaxed. Although chocolate is known to have mood benefits and make people feel better – this seems to be a short term effect and in the long run may have negative effects on mood.

This is mainly because when eating chocolate, the rush is followed by a crash and the crash makes depression worse. The solution to this is to have chocolate in small amounts slowly and having the confidence that even a little chocolate can go a long way.

Chocolates come in different flavors and tastes. Normally, the manufacturing process of chocolates reduces the amount of flavanols found in cocoa. However, Dark chocolate has more flavanols than milk chocolate and so in that case would be a healthier option. The European Union food safety officials have stated that 200 milligrams of cocoa flavanols does improve the flow of blood circulation. This would mean in order to get 200 milligrams of flavanols, people would need to eat roughly two dark chocolate bars in a week.

In light of this, manufacturers have already begun manufacturing supplements containing flavanols. The most common chocolate supplement in the market is CocoVia manufactured by Mars.

These supplements contain flavanols without the extra calories found in chocolate. It’s like all the benefits of chocolate without all the fun and taste.

While results from current research is overwhelming, don’t gobble down all those chocolates just yet. Most commercial chocolates contain fats and sugars which have a lot of calories and too much of it can cause weight gain and obesity which is a risk factor for diabetes and high blood pressure.

Keeping that in mind, cocoa itself unlike chocolate is very low in fat and sugars and has all the numerous health benefits mentioned above. Therefore, a safer option would be to add plain cocoa to your low-fat milk or having dark chocolate once a week provided you’re not diabetic.