Is Chocolate Good For You?

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Chocolate’s heart-protective benefits may also be helpful to individuals with diabetes. It is well known that the majority of diabetes related deaths result from cardiovascular conditions such as artherosclerosis, infarction, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Elevated blood sugar levels cause micro-blood vessel damage, which ultimately causes scarring and blood vessel blockage. This damage causes neuropathy (pain in the nerves) and edema (water in the tissues) in extremities, which can lead to ulcerations and amputations. It also causes kidney damage (nephropathy) and even blindness (retinopathy).

Researchers from Italy have recently reported that oxidative stress is the underlying cause of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and diabetes. If this is the case, antioxidant rich foods like cocoa may help treat and prevent the disease.

A 2005 the study from the University of L’Aquila in Italy and Tufts University suggests that flavonols present in chocolate can protect the cardiovascular system and can improve the utilization of insulin in diabetic patients. The findings indicate that flavonols can lower blood pressure and lower overall blood fat levels. The researchers also discovered that even the short-term administration of dark chocolate can result in significant  improvement in insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance is a key problem in type-2 diabetes). Flavonoids help type-2 diabetes mitigate insulin resistance, thus lowering and regulating blood sugar.

A recent article in the Journal of Nutrition discusses the protection that cocoa polyphenols can provide against after-meal oxidative stress. The authors explain that nutritional oxidative stress occurs because there is an imbalance between the body's pro-oxidant load and it's antioxidant defense. This is a consequence of excessive intake of free radicals or of inadequate supply of antioxidants. This imbalance contributes, of course, to a higher risk of cardiovascular problems -- and diabetes. This distress can be reduced by the ingestion of dietary polyphenols or antioxidants found in chocolate.