Hershey-Funded Study Finds Chocolate May Be Good For You
In the tradition of industry-sponsored studies (i.e., Wrigley-Funded Study Finds Chewing Gum May Help Reduce Stress), a press release from the Hershey Company informs us that:Resveratrol, red wine compound linked to health, also found in dark chocolate and cocoa
Hershey's Center for Health and Nutrition announced the publication of a study that shows resveratrol, the compound often associated with the health benefits of red wine, is also found in cocoa and dark chocolate products. In the September 24 edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists report that cocoa powder, baking chocolate and dark chocolate all have significant levels of resveratrol, a naturally occurring antioxidant."This study shows that the levels of resveratrol found in cocoa and chocolate products is second to red wine among known sources of resveratrol and forms yet another important link between the antioxidants found in cocoa and dark chocolate to other foods," says David Stuart, PhD, Director of Natural Product Science at The Hershey Company who partnered with Planta Analytica to conduct this study.
In the study, top selling retail products from six categories were tested for the level of resveratrol and its sister compound, piceid. The six product categories included cocoa powder, baking chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet baking chips, milk chocolate and chocolate syrup. Gram for gram, cocoa powder had the highest average amount of resveratrol and piceid, followed by baking chocolates, dark chocolates, semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate and then chocolate syrup...
When the cocoa and chocolate levels were compared to published values for a serving of red wine, roasted peanuts and peanut butter, resveratrol levels of cocoa powders, baking chocolates and dark chocolate all exceeded the levels for roasted peanuts and peanut butter per serving, but were less than California red wine.
So keep drinking that red wine, cocoa powder isn't enough. The PR continues:
According to a review article published this month in Nutrition Reviews, resveratrol, a naturally occurring antioxidant, was shown to improve insulin sensitivity, blood cholesterol levels and have neuroprotective actions in animal studies. Further, the article states, studies in mice indicate that diets high in resveratrol were associated with increased longevity.At any rate, if one has the money to splurge, why not take a step up from Special Dark to Scharffen Berger?1
Footnote
1 Oh, wait, Hershey's owns Scharffen Berger:
About The Hershey Company
...Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company, markets such premium chocolate offerings as Scharffen Berger, known for its high-cacao dark chocolate products, Joseph Schmidt, recognized for its fine, handcrafted chocolate gifts, and Dagoba, known for its high-quality.
- Chocolate Brains
Chocolate brains, with or without cherries inside. Or if you don't want to shop around online, make your own. Chocolate contains mood boosting chemicals like anandamide, tryptophan, and phenylethylamine. These are also a good Valentine's gift...
- Why Narcissistic Leaders Are Like Chocolate Cake
At a superficial level, people who are narcissistic seem like they will be good leaders. They're confident, outgoing and unafraid of putting themselves forward. But once in charge, their appeal rapidly wanes. In this way, say the authors of a new...
- The Mindbus Technique For Resisting Chocolate - Should We Climb Aboard?
Imagine you are the driver & your chocolate cravings are unruly passengersIf someone gave you a bag of 14 chocolates to carry around for five days, would you be able to resist eating them and any other chocolate? That was the challenge faced by 135...
- Sweet-toothed And Sweet Natured - How People Who Like Sweet Things Are Sweet
"Honey", "Sweetheart", "Sugar": how come so many terms of endearment pertain to sweetness? Might the metaphor be grounded in a real link between sweet taste and pleasing personality traits and behaviour? Brian Meier and his team had dozens of students...
- Chocolate Mooncakes (gluten-free). Or, Recipes On The Blog!
I've been cooking & posting photos / recipes to my Facebook page for a while now. That turns out to be satisfying because my friends post comments ... but ultimately is unsatisfying because I can't easily refer people...