My mother died many years ago, and the three things I remember so strikingly about her were that she was a people person, very svelte and lean, and a very born-again chocoholic.
She would eat one of the largest size Hershey bars, the ones on steroids, daily, all the while I was growing up.
Yet everyone noted and commented about how fit and thin she was.
Was chocolate her secret weapon? (Okay, okay, besides the facts of being state champion in tennis and also in fencing, so she was NO couch potato!)
A study out of the University of California, San Diego, has surprised us all. For years science has acknowledged the beneficial role of chocolate in many aspects of health, from blood pressure to improving insulin sensitivity, but it was thought that all those benefits were probably offset by its high fatty, caloric content.
However, this study, which analyzed various factors on over 1000 patients who were on statins, asked how often they consumed chocolate as well as investigated all the foods they ate or drank, how much they exercised, etc.
Holding all the other factors aside, the more people ate chocolate, the leaner they were (lower body mass index).
These findings are in harmony with the emerging nutritional literature that suggests that the character of calories, not just the quantity, has an impact on metabolic syndrome (weight, blood pressure, blood fat levels, blood sugar levels, etc.).
This is one reason why, years ago, I designed the first chocolate nutraceutical for Natrol, who started a separate company for these weight-loss truffles.
I stuck (formulated) scientifically proven weight loss nutrients inside tasty low glycemic healthy dark chocolate.
We launched the company in the same chocolate facility where I Love Lucy filmed Lucille Ball’s famous chocolate conveyor belt scene.
I wish I had pics from that amazing day. Sadly, no.
But the lawyers at that time said that the term glycemic index was a trend and not here to stay (beware of the opinions of others, even those you pay for), and hot weather made shipping the fragile truffles tough.
Chocolate is not only low glycemic; it has robust plant chemical content that appears to boost thermogenesis (fat-burning capabilities) all by its lonesome.
Ah, ah, ah, sweet chocolate.
See, I get to say that my mother was right!
But of course, life is better with that illusive, hard-to-grasp reality: moderation.
Knowledge is power, and sometimes… tasty.
Dr. B.
Reference:
Association between more frequent chocolate consumption and lower body mass index. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Mar 26;172(6):519-21.
Raw organic cacao daily -several times, drinks, food, inside organic dates!
Still slender @ 80 next bday.
Also eat tons of veg, fruit as much as possible organic.
How do you feel about all the reports of the high metals in many chocolates, even the organic ones? It doesn’t stop me from eating chocolate, but I hope it brings light to a way to reduce the levels.