Chocolate & Cocoa: 'Healthy' Benefits, or Negative Health Effects?

Chocolate & Cocoa:

'Healthy' Benefits, or Negative Health Effects?

Link to article: http://www.acu-cell.com/choc.html

Is Chocolate a food of the gods because of its divine taste and Health Benefits,

or is it because heavenly bodies don't have to worry about its Health Hazards?

Chocolate & Cocoa

Stories on the Health Benefits of consuming Cocoa Products have increasingly made the news, following the

discovery that they are a rich source of catechins, which are polyphenols of the flavanol group, and which are

believed to protect against heart disease, cancer, and various other medical conditions.

Chocolate manufacturers, retailers, and the media have been taking advantage of these findings by not only

trying to make chocolate lovers feel less guilty about their addiction, but also by trying to target more health-

conscious consumers with regular doses of "research studies" praising the supposed health benefits of

consuming (dark) chocolate, among them that:

•  eating chocolate does not trigger migraine headaches,

•  eating chocolate reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer.

•  eating chocolate does not give someone acne or other skin eruptions,

•  eating chocolate boosts one's appetite, but does not cause weight gain,

•  eating moderate amounts of chocolate makes one live almost a year longer,

•  eating chocolate releases endorphins in the brain, which act as pain-relievers,

•  the sugar in chocolate may have a calming and pain relieving effect.

How reliable are all these "Studies?"

When taking a closer look, one discovers that once the studies funded by chocolate interest groups were

discarded, the ones left offered conflicting results.  As expected, some isolated compounds in cocoa did

however show certain health benefits.  Because it is a common practice in nutritional research to do studies

on food fractions, outcomes may sometimes appear negative because they are done without any co-factors

or "Whole-Food" nutrients.  However in the case of cocoa, some of the research was positive because all the

detrimental ingredients in chocolate - and their negative health effects -  were not part of the study.

If people were to consume pure cocoa, they might indeed be able to enjoy a few health benefits, including

a positive effect on blood pressure_[63] and glucose metabolism, however the majority of people eat processed

chocolate with all the other less desirable ingredients (i.e. added sugar, corn syrup, milk fats / dairy cream,

hydrogenated oils, etc.), and where the actual cocoa content may be less than 20%, so unless premium dark

chocolate is consumed, and one does not suffer from copper overload (see further below), all bets regarding

chocolate being healthy are off.

With claims made of sugar having a "pain-relieving" effect (babies fed a sucrose solution felt less pain from

needles), it is doubtful that we will see chocolate bars replacing conventional analgesics any time soon, nor

are these same "researchers" making these sugar-promoting claims likely going to reach for a chocolate bar

next time they suffer from a throbbing toothache, a pounding headache, or a kidney stone attack.

While cocoa and sugar do not "cause" acne, the sugar present in chocolate will most certainly make acne,

or any other acne-like skin eruptions worse, as anyone suffering from these skin conditions can attest to.

Placebo-controlled trials showed that some of the chemicals in chocolate (phenylethylamine, theobromine,

or caffeine), can indeed trigger migraines by altering cerebral blood flow and releasing norepinephrine in

some of those prone to suffer from migraine headaches.  Of all of the foods isolated that triggered the most

attacks, chocolate was an offender about 30% of the time.  Claiming that "eating moderate amounts of

chocolate increases one's life span" is a most interesting example of how some "researchers" will twist and

manipulate statistics to prove anything!

"Chocolate-Is-Good-For-You" campaigns through the media or the prominent placement of

leaflets at confectionery counters keep feeding the consumer "made-to-order" research results

whose outcome is pre-determined to satisfy an agenda (i.e. selling chocolate), with little relevance

to science or facts.  Considering that tobacco has also shown some health benefits, particularly

with ulcerative colitis and Parkinson's disease, would this be a reason to entice people to start smoking?

From a nutritional perspective - the average milk chocolate product is no less a junk food than ice cream

or donuts, and it is equally unhealthy and fattening when large amounts are consumed on a regular basis.

While no one is trying to discourage people from enjoying an occasional chocolate treat - selling chocolate

on the premises of providing health benefits, and urging consumers to increase their chocolate consumption

for "Health Reasons" leaves nutritional research less than credible, particularly when diabetes and obesity

have become an out-of-control global problem.

The good news is, premium grade dark chocolate contains only cocoa butter, a fat that naturally occurs in

cocoa beans, which is made up of stearic acid (34%), oleic acid (34%), palmitic acid (25%), and the rest of

other fatty acids, whereby the combined effect of all the fats found in cocoa butter is quite neutral in regard

to an individual's lipid (heart disease risk) profile.  However, when milk chocolate, or lower grade chocolate is

consumed, part of the total fat content of chocolate comes from milk fat or various other types of fat, which

offer no extra health benefits, but instead create a risk factor with cardiovascular disease.

Despite the good news on cocoa not raising LDL cholesterol, even dark chocolate is a very calorie-dense

food, so while the fat content may not invite cardiovascular disease from an atherogenic (arterial clogging)

perspective, its regular consumption will add a lot of extra calories to someone's daily total, and as a result

still affect those who have to watch their caloric intake.  Nevertheless, being listed as the No.1 ingredient in

many chocolate products, sugar is unquestionably a worse culprit compared to the fat content when

addressing the effect of chocolate on someone's overall health.

Sugar is a well-known cause, contributing, or aggravating factor with a host of medical conditions, including

heart disease, inflammatory conditions, immune system disorders, impaired phagocytosis, mood disorders,

insulin and blood sugar disorders, leukemia, tooth decay, yeast infections, depletion of essential nutrients,

osteoporosis, obesity, and others. (see also Acu-Cell "Sugar & Glycemic Index").

Cocoa products also contain pharmacological substances such as n-acylethanolamines that are related

to cannabis (marijuana), they contain stimulants such as phenylethylamine, which have an anti-depressant

and amphetamine-like effect; and they contain compounds that stimulate the brain to release an opiate-like

substance called anandamide.  When drugs are used to block the brain's opiate receptors, the desire for

chocolate (and other sweet and fatty foods) disappears -- confirming the addictive nature of these types

of foods.

But despite cocoa being such an opiate and endorphin-releasing pharmacological powerhouse, who would

have guessed that when chocoholics were given cocoa in capsules - without the added fat and sugar, and

without the feel of chocolate melting in their mouths - it had no satisfying effect at all!

However, while eating the actual chocolate bar satisfied the cravings for it, studies showed that there was

no improvement with mood, relaxation, feeling content, depression, or guilt, after eating chocolate.

The health benefits of polyphenols are easily demonstrated in a test-tube environment, however cocoa also

happens to be very high in Copper, which unfortunately inhibits the action of certain flavonoids, particularly

Hesperidin, which is an essential flavanone (see also "Bioflavonoids").  This can lead to a greater incidence

of vascular degeneration such as varicose veins, hemorrhoids, aneurysms, bruising, heart disease, and stroke

in those with elevated copper levels.

While low copper levels can be implicated with weak and fragile blood vessels also, high copper levels

are much more common in many parts of the world, with nearly 90% of patients tested exhibiting a chemical

profile that - in addition to their own unique chemistry - contained an underlying pattern that reflects the

impact of copper overload on various nutrients, which include chromium, molybdenum, nickel, hesperidin,

Vitamin C, sulfur, and others.

The additional consumption of high copper sources such as chocolate and cocoa products, cola drinks,

coffee, (as well as shellfish, liver, soy products, and some nuts and seeds), not only aggravates many high

copper-related medical conditions, but it is responsible for creating new ones.  At the same time, copper is

an important co-factor for angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation with cancers), so with the exception

of colon cancer, for which copper and calcium are somewhat protective for, most other types of malignant

or benign tumors, hemangiomas, fibroids, etc., are associated with high copper levels.

Dark, bitter chocolate has the highest catechin content, but at the same time has also the highest copper

level.  Light or milk chocolate has the lowest copper level, but also the lowest catechin content.

* Risk factor for cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, joint degeneration, and other conditions.

The health benefits gained by following a high flavonoid intake, and the resulting decrease of some medical

problems is eventually offset by steadily increasing copper levels, which will inhibit flavonoid activity, and

which will over time promote an increase in these very same medical conditions!

The high sugar content in chocolate increases Chromium requirements (chromium is an associated trace

mineral to copper).  The resulting high copper / low chromium ratio creates an increased risk for trabecular

bone loss, and it can trigger or worsen blood sugar-related, and/or inflammatory conditions that may raise

the risk or incidence of chronic tonsil infections, recurring bladder infections, some forms of arthritis, or

similar problems of the immune system in prone individuals.

By lowering Sulfur, high copper levels are a common cause or aggravating factor of osteoarthritis, for which

some people take glucosamine sulfate or MSM supplements.  If successful, they partly work by counteracting

high copper levels and thus help to reverse or slow cartilage or joint degeneration.  Other than the effect of

chocolate on an individual's mood, elevated copper levels - by inhibiting sulfur - can adversely affect memory

and concentration, so progressive copper storage as a result of long-term high copper intake, combined with

increasingly diminishing sulfur levels can eventually contribute to, or lead to mental impairment or dementia.

(see also Acu-Cell "Copper & Chromium" and "Selenium & Sulfur").

Chocolate contains theobromine and a small amount of caffeine, both being stimulants and members of the

methylxanthine family.  Although it increases alertness, theobromine doesn't have the same jittery effect on

the heart like caffeine.  However, theobromine can be toxic or even lethal to domestic animals such as

dogs, cats, parrots and horses as a result of affecting their kidneys, heart, and central nervous system.

Another health risk and concern - particularly for young children - are the high Lead concentrations in cocoa

and chocolate products, which according to the Environmental Health Perspectives (2005)_[90], are supposed

to be one of the highest reported for all food items, although there have been challenges to these claims._[91]

From a clinical perspective, and putting aside the commercial hype that has been created of late to boost the

image of chocolate - people with the highest intake of chocolate either end up with excessive copper levels,

or elevated VLDL triglycerides (from all that sugar).  On average, most chocoholic patients test high in both.

As is the case with other sweets - anything beyond a casual consumption of chocolate will result in reduced,

not improved health, without even going into some more immediate health concerns that some individuals

experience from consuming chocolate, such as allergic reactions, chronic mucus / sinus problems, heartburn,

esophageal reflux (GERD), kidney stones, fibrocystic breast disease, migraine headaches, or aggravated PMS.

Nevertheless - in moderation - chocolate can certainly be the Sinful Delight it was meant to be! ¤