The darker the chocolate, the sweeter the benefits

For thousands of years in Japan, maccha (Camellia sinensis) has been incorporated into the daily diet for its cultural significance and known health benefits. Today, how- ever, an unexpected import takes root in the Land of the Rising Sun as the new kid on the health block.

In 2006, chocolate consumption in Japan sonic boomed. Companies throughout the country, including Ezaki Glico, Fujiya, Lotte, Meiji and Morinaga, concocted more varieties, combinations and aji of chocolate candies that there are petals in the fullest blossom of a blooming kiku. While many of the trends in chocolatiering have withered away, including a tiramisu-flavored chocolate jelly, cocoa touted for its health benefits has grown - specifically, those benefits found in dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate, or that containing at least 60 percent cocoa, is packed with potent antioxidants called flavonoids. Cocoa, the pulverized, fermented seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), houses nearly twice the levels of antioxidants of red wine and two to three times that of green tea. Antioxidants are substances that do-right-by-a-body by preventing life-threatening ailments, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. They also serve as sponges of free radicals.

To truly savor the healthfulness in a single gram of dark chocolate, it's vital to understand the nature of free radicals and why we should bid them a swift sayonara! A free radical is any damag- ing compound that roams freely in the body conducting a number of dirty deeds, including altering cell membranes, accelerating the aging process and causing cancer and heart disease. While free radicals occur naturally in the body, environmental toxins, such as radiation and air pollution, increase the number of these problematic particles. Thankfully, specific flavonoids found in dark chocolate, namely epicatechin, combat the effects of free radicals.

Epicatechin is known to offer strong cardiovascular benefits and to reduce blood pressure. In the presence of said fab flavonoids, production of nitric oxide (NO) increases in the body. NO dilates blood vessels, relaxes arteries, reduces the severity or occurrence of blood clots and increases blood flow. In other words, nibbling on a 100g bar of 60 percent cocoa each day could be the best thing that happened to heart health since taking two St. Joseph's Aspirin every morning.

Dark chocolate has a number of other healthy attributes worthy of honorable mention. Two-thirds of the fat in dark chocolate comes in the form of saturated fat called stearic acid and monosaturated fat called oleic acid. This is the same fat found in olive oil, known to be very heart-friendly. Unlike other saturated fats, stearic acid does not raise the levels of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol; instead, it protects the levels against oxidation. Amounts of sugar are relatively low in dark chocolate so it has little impact on tooth decay since it does not bind to tooth enamel as ferociously as other candies. Allergies to chocolate itself are rare; more likely are allergies to milk, egg, peanut and other tree nut components found in chocolate products. And chocolate makes us feel good. A compound, called anandmide, found in the sweet activates the same receptors in the brain as that of marijuana, promoting an overall sense of well-being.

Yet, some people remain unconvinced. Critics of the cocoa craze say that, while dark chocolate does possess some favorable qualities, the extra calories ingested could lead to weight gain. Additionally, they claim most commercially produced chocolate - even dark chocolate - retains little, if any, of the natural, plant-based flavonoids that make it the hoped for antioxidant powerhouse. Rather than gorging ourselves on bars of Hershey's Special Dark or Meiji 82percent Cacao in the name of health, cocoa-skeptics say we should look to a diet of ample fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.

Despite opposition, cocoa-advocates claim the health benefits of dark chocolate are sweeter still, and it's a mere matter of time before the beauty of the cocoa bean flourishes.

Text: Marguerite Saussotte • Photos: Taka Kataoka