Chocolate May Lower Heart Disease Risk, Contains Antioxidants
| November/December 1996
Scientists at the University of California in Davis reported they found chocolate contains high levels of antioxidant chemicals that may help lower a person's risk of heart disease. According to an article in the Sept. 20 edition of The Wall Street Journal, these wine scientists wrote a letter to the medical journal The Lancet about experiments they conducted to test the effect of chocolate on the chemistry of LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the "bad" form of cholesterol that clogs arteries, contributing to heart disease. "A current theory is that LDL is at its most dangerous combined with oxygen--that is, when it is oxidized. Chocolate contains high levels of certain chemicals, called phenolics, which are antioxidants and might interfere with the oxidation of LDL," the scientists speculated in The Wall Street Journal. Phenolics are the same antioxidants found in red wine, which has been studied for its effects on lowering LDL cholesterol. The researchers' experiments showed that 1.5 ounces of milk chocolate have about the same amount of antioxidants as a 5-ounce glass of red wine, and suggested eating a piece of chocolate with a glass of red wine. The Wall Street Journal notes that some cardiologists are skeptical and that antioxidants' effects on heart disease are still unproven. The newspaper quoted Stephen Scheidt, director of cardiology training at New York Hospital--Cornell Medical Center, as saying although he is "unconvinced of the benefits of chocolate," he was volunteering for "the ultimate clinical trial" to test chocolate. |
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