subject: Dark Chocolate Health Benefits: Medical Science Says Dark Chocolate Good For Heart [print this page] Here is a definite answer to the question, "Is dark chocolate good for you?" Yes, the benefits of dark chocolate have been confirmed by medical science. According to an American Heart Association(AHA) scientific journal news release dated Aug. 17, 2010 there certainly are dark chocolate health benefits. According to the AHA report eating moderate amounts of chocolate is linked to lower risks of heart failure among other benefits.
Experts warn, however, moderation is they key. Murrray Mittleman, M.D.,Dr.P.H. and director of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston says " If you're going to have a treat, dark chocolate is probably a good choice, as long as it's in moderation."
The reason why moderation is important is that eating too much chocolate like anything else with high fat and sugar does have its negative consequences. Fat and daily calorie intake do play a roll in how much dark chocolate we can indulge in for health benefits before any negative impact begins.
Watching Out For Saturated Fat
What we have to watch out for in consuming chocolate, even the healthier dark variety, is saturated fat content, in particular. We need not be so concerned about the unsaturated fat component. In fact, it is the unsaturated fat and antioxidant levels in chocolate that actually have a positive impact on cardiovascular health.
The Fat Content Of A Popular Dark Chocolate Bar
According to the packaging of a (6.8oz) Hershey Special Dark chocolate bar, the suggested serving size is 3 blocks for a single serving. The package further states that there are 11 grams of total fat per 3 block serving. Of the total 11 grams of fat 7 grams of that is saturated fat.
How Much Daily Fat Do We Need?
The average adult needs about 2,000 calories each day. The American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee strongly advises, based on this number of calories consumed, that the average sedentary adult limit total fat intake to less than 16 g saturated fat and total fat in the range of 50 to 70 grams total daily.
People who lead active lifestyles, however, can handle more fat intake. Exercising regularly, consuming lots of vegetation and drinking plenty of water daily tends to help burn fat calories and help flush it from the system. Thus, active individuals tend to have a higher calorie intake need and fat handling capacity beyond the limitations established for those who are less active.
How Much Hershey Special Dark Chocolate Is Good For You?
If we follow the guidelines of the AHA and if we are sedentary we will not want to consume more than 2 servings of Hershey Special Dark daily. This is due to the fact that a single serving, which is 3 blocks contains 7 grams of saturated fat. Two of these 3 block servings would provide a total of 14 grams of saturated fat.
Eating two servings as a sedentary individual leaves room for only 2 more grams of saturated fat in the diet before the daily recommended limit of 16 grams is reached.
The other limiting factor to keep in mind with many supermarket brands of chocolate is that they typically have very high sugar content. The Hershey Special Dark Chocolate bar itself is approximately half sugar by weight. Of the 36 grams of content per serving 18 grams of that is sugar. With this said, by all means enjoy dark chocolate health benefits but you may want to consider less sugary brands in doing so.
