Add to collection
  • + Create new collection
  • Eating chocolate may reduce your risk of heart disease1 according to a 2011 study published in the prestigious British Medical Journal. However, you might also wind up fat and spotty from too much self-treatment.

    Rights: Image licensed through 123RF.com

    Chocolate

    Researchers have found that high levels of chocolate consumption seem to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. However, they say chocolate should be eaten in moderation because of its saturated fat and sugar content.

    In the study, researchers found that high levels of chocolate consumption seem to be associated with a one-third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease2. Further research is needed to work out exactly why this happens and whether it is the chocolate itself or some other factor (for example, the milk content or even if it is a psychological relaxing or stress-relief effect associated with having a chocolate!) that produces the beneficial result.

    The findings confirm results of existing studies that agree on a potential beneficial link between chocolate consumption and heart health. However, in their study, the authors urge people to be cautious in interpreting the results, mainly because commercially available chocolate has a lot of calories3 (around 500 calories4 for every 100 grams) and eating too much of it could lead to weight5 gain, risk of diabetes and – conversely – heart disease. To make it plain, eating chocolate should not replace good lifestyle and diet choices that are critical in preventing heart disease.

    Chocolate has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

    Health warnings aside, a number of recent studies have shown the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory6 properties of chocolate have a positive affect on human health, such as reducing blood pressure7 and improving insulin8 sensitivity. (Reduced insulin sensitivity is a stage in the development of type 2 diabetes9.)

    This study, carried out by the University of Cambridge, examined existing evidence10 to find out the effects of eating chocolate on ‘cardiovascular events’ such as heart attack and stroke11.

    They analysed the results of seven studies, involving over 100,000 participants with and without existing heart disease. For each study, they compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against the group with the lowest consumption.

    Five studies reported a beneficial link between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular events. They found that the “highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease12 and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with lowest levels”.

    The studies did not differentiate13 between dark or milk chocolate and included consumption of chocolate bars, drinks, biscuits and desserts.

    But you should not eat lots of chocolate

    The authors conclude there are certainly health benefits from eating chocolate and that we should be examining ways to reduce the current14 fat and sugar content in most chocolate products.

    A final word of caution from Dr Victoria Taylor, Senior Heart Health Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation. In an interview with the UK Science Media Centre, Dr Taylor says that, while the evidence suggests chocolate might have some heart health benefits, “We can’t start advising people to eat lots of chocolate based on this research. It didn’t explore what it is about chocolate that could help and if one particular type of chocolate is better than another.

    “If you want to reduce your heart disease risk, there are much better places to start than at the bottom of a box of chocolates. You can still eat chocolate as part of a balanced diet but moderation is key because this sweet treat is usually packed with saturated fat15 and calories.”

    Related content

    Explore some of the science ideas and concepts around digestion16 in:

    • Unlocking the energy in foods – The foods we eat supply the energy needed by the body to drive its complex chemical, mechanical and electrical systems. Where does this energy come from, how is it locked into food molecules17 and how is it released?
    • Energy requirements of the bodyMacronutrients supply the energy needed by the body to keep it functioning. The rate of energy release from macronutrients18 by chemical processes occurring in the body is known as metabolic rate.

    Read more about health claims and food products. When looking at claims about food it is important to read more than just the headline. In the article Read news like a scientist discover how to approach science news like a scientist – see past the sensational and find the facts.

    Activity idea

    Because chocolate is packed with fat and sugar, it has a high energy content. Your students may like to try the Calculating RMR and daily energy output activity in which they calculate their average daily energy expenditure and relate this to what they eat in a day, including their intake of chocolate.

    Useful links

    Read the full research report in the British Medical Journal.

    Why not do some of your own research to find how "good" chocolate really is for you, much will depend on the quantity and type consumed and your lifestyle, Health benefits and risks of chocolate from Medical News today covers some of the factors that need to be considered.

    1. heart disease: A condition that affects the heart muscle or the blood vessels of the heart.
    2. diseases: 1. An abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. 2. In plants, an abnormal condition that interferes with vital physiological processes.
    3. calorie: A non-SI unit of energy defined as being the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C. A measure of energy in food.
    4. calories: A measure of the energy in food.
    5. weight: Force due to gravity acting on an object, measured in newtons.
    6. anti-inflammatory: Reducing or preventing inflammation.
    7. pressure: The force per unit area that acts on the surface of an object.
    8. insulin: A hormone produced in the pancreas that controls blood sugar levels.
    9. type 2 diabetes: A condition where insulin is no longer able to regulate blood sugar levels, symptoms are influenced by diet and lifestyle. Also known as non-insulin dependent or adult-onset diabetes.
    10. evidence: Data, or information, used to prove or disprove something.
    11. stroke: 1. When part of the brain is damaged due to its blood supply being reduced or stopped. 2. A lightning flash is an event made up of a set of strokes.
    12. cardiovascular disease: A class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels.
    13. differentiate: To change into a cell type with a specialised function, such as a heart, muscle, or brain cell.
    14. current: The flow of electric charge through a conductor.
    15. saturated fat: The fatty acids present in this type of fat have only single bonds present between each of the carbon atoms in the molecule.
    16. digestion: The mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components that can be absorbed into a bloodstream.
    17. molecule: Two or more atoms bonded together. The molecule of an element has all its atoms the same. The molecule of a compound has two or more different atoms.
    18. macronutrient: 1. In human nutrition, a nutrient that is required in large amounts and provides the energy needed to maintain body functions and carry out the activities of daily life. There are three macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins and fats. 2. In agriculture, a macronutrient is any of the chemical elements required by plants in relatively large amounts: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur and calcium.
    Published 15 September 2011, Updated 14 April 2022 Referencing Hub articles
        Go to full glossary
        Download all

        heart disease

      1. + Create new collection
      2. A condition that affects the heart muscle or the blood vessels of the heart.

        calories

      3. + Create new collection
      4. A measure of the energy in food.

        pressure

      5. + Create new collection
      6. The force per unit area that acts on the surface of an object.

        evidence

      7. + Create new collection
      8. Data, or information, used to prove or disprove something.

        differentiate

      9. + Create new collection
      10. To change into a cell type with a specialised function, such as a heart, muscle, or brain cell.

        digestion

      11. + Create new collection
      12. The mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components that can be absorbed into a bloodstream.

        diseases

      13. + Create new collection
      14. 1. An abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions.

        2. In plants, an abnormal condition that interferes with vital physiological processes.

        weight

      15. + Create new collection
      16. Force due to gravity acting on an object, measured in newtons.

        insulin

      17. + Create new collection
      18. A hormone produced in the pancreas that controls blood sugar levels.

        stroke

      19. + Create new collection
      20. 1. When part of the brain is damaged due to its blood supply being reduced or stopped.

        2. A lightning flash is an event made up of a set of strokes.

        current

      21. + Create new collection
      22. The flow of electric charge through a conductor.

        molecule

      23. + Create new collection
      24. Two or more atoms bonded together. The molecule of an element has all its atoms the same. The molecule of a compound has two or more different atoms.

        calorie

      25. + Create new collection
      26. A non-SI unit of energy defined as being the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C. A measure of energy in food.

        anti-inflammatory

      27. + Create new collection
      28. Reducing or preventing inflammation.

        type 2 diabetes

      29. + Create new collection
      30. A condition where insulin is no longer able to regulate blood sugar levels, symptoms are influenced by diet and lifestyle. Also known as non-insulin dependent or adult-onset diabetes.

        cardiovascular disease

      31. + Create new collection
      32. A class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels.

        saturated fat

      33. + Create new collection
      34. The fatty acids present in this type of fat have only single bonds present between each of the carbon atoms in the molecule.

        macronutrient

      35. + Create new collection
      36. 1. In human nutrition, a nutrient that is required in large amounts and provides the energy needed to maintain body functions and carry out the activities of daily life. There are three macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

        2. In agriculture, a macronutrient is any of the chemical elements required by plants in relatively large amounts: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur and calcium.