Dark Chocolate Health Benefits: American Heart Association News

You may have been wondering about the benefits of dark chocolate and have questioned, "Is dark chocolate good for you?" According to an American Heart Association(AHA) scientific journal news release dated Aug. 17, 2010 dark chocolate health benefits are very real. The AHA news release reports that eating moderate amounts of chocolate is linked to lower risks of heart failure and associated with lowering blood pressure as well.

Experts warn, however, moderation is they key. Murray Mittleman, M.D.,Dr.P.H. and director of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston says " If you're going to have a treat, dark chocolate is probably a good choice, as long as it's in moderation."

This is because the potential benefits of dark chocolate must be carefully weighed against the negative risks from the calories and high fat in many commercial chocolate products.

What To Watch Out For Is Saturated Fat

What to look out for is the amount of saturated fat and sugar we consume with any type of sweets and chocolate products including dark chocolate. Be aware there is unsaturated fat and then there is the less desirable saturated fat. Dark chocolate health benefits actually come, in part, from its unsaturated fat component. The unsaturated fat in chocolate actually helps raise good HDL cholesterol levels and that is good for the heart.

The Saturated Fat Content Of Hershey Special Dark

According to the packaging of a (6.8oz) Hershey Special Dark chocolate bar, the suggested serving size is 3 blocks for a single serving. The package further states that there are 11 grams of total fat per 3 block serving. Of the total 11 grams of fat 7 grams of that is saturated fat.

How Much Daily Fat Do We Need?

The AHA says the average American adult needs about 2,000 calories in their daily diet. Also according to the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee sedentary (inactive) adults should limit daily saturated fat to 16 grams and total fat between 50 and 70 grams each day based on a 2,000 total calorie daily intake.

People that are active can actually consume more fat and calories with less negative consequences because of their generally higher metabolism rates and their need for more calories. By routinely exercising, eating fruits and vegetables and drinking at least eight glasses of water daily our bodies tend to burn more fat calories and flush more of the excess fat from the system.

How Much Hershey Special Dark Is Too Much?

By following what the AHA has set forth as a guide for daily saturated fat intake sedentary individuals should limit indulgence of Hershey Special Dark to no more than 1 or 2 servings daily. At two servings this would be 2 X 7grams = 14 grams of saturated fat.

The 14 grams of saturated fat in two servings is just two grams short of the maximum daily recommended limit set by the AHA.

The other limiting factor to keep in mind with many supermarket brands of chocolate is that they typically have very high sugar content. The Hershey Special Dark Chocolate bar itself is approximately half sugar by weight. Of the 36 grams of content per serving 18 grams of that is sugar. With this said, by all means enjoy dark chocolate health benefits but you may want to consider less sugary brands in doing so.


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