How does chocolate affect our lifes

Question

A recent article claims that a new study has found that eating chocolate can add years to your life

Comments

The claim that eating chocolate can extend life stems from a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which found a link between chocolate consumption and lower mortality risk in post-menopausal women. However, it's important to remember that correlation doesn’t equal causation. While chocolate, especially dark chocolate, has health benefits due to its flavonoids, the study also noted that other lifestyle factors might influence the results. The researchers stressed that more studies are needed to fully understand the relationship between chocolate intake and longevity.

Answer 1

There is some evidence that chocolate can reduce your risk of heart disease. However, these benefits can only come from dark chocolate and it cannot guarantee a longer life by any means. According to Poulina Uddin, a cardiologist at Scripps Clinic, "Eating chocolate is healthy when it is dark chocolate", and "studies show that eating a small amount of dark chocolate regularly can benefit your health". This is because chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa contains higher amounts of flavanols, a class of compound that is known to have health benefits such as improved blood vessel function, anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidant power, with other potential benefits including improved blood sugar control, skin health, cognitive function, and reduced risk of cancer. Dr. Uddin also adds that it should be consumed in moderation, "try taking a small piece and letting it slowly melt in your mouth." However there was also a study conducted in 2017 that found that only when when combined with almonds can dark chocolate and cocoa aid in heart health. Alice H. Lichtenstein, the Gershoff professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University, states that the amount of flavanols to achieve significant health benefits, "is unlikely achievable with daily consumption of commercially available dark chocolate." Essentially, while dark chocolate contains flavanols that are known to be beneficially healthy, it is not conclusive whether it should be recommended to patients, as well as what the appropriate dosage or duration of consumption is.

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/02/12/are-there-health-benefits-from-chocolate#:~:text=Most%20dark%20chocolate%20is%20high,high%20blood%20pressure%20in%20adults.

https://www.scripps.org/news_items/5317-is-dark-chocolate-healthy

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33722594/

Comments

Good work on this, considering that the claim isn't a statement but rather a question, which makes it a bit difficult.