dark chocolate has health benefits

Question

eating dark chocolate gives you protection against free radicals, cardiovascular disease, may prevent cancer, and also improves cognitive function. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants, increases clotting ability of blood platelets, and it decreases mental impairment.

Comments

Dark chocolate has potential benefits, but claims are often exaggerated. Enjoy in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

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This claim is true! The article starts out by citing Harvard which says that dark chocolate contains high amounts of flavanols, which helps your heart in protecting it from cardiovascular diseases. The article makes more claims about dark chocolate like that is prevents cancer, improves cognitive function, and protects against free radicals. Harvard was the only thing they used to back up their claims, so I found another article about this topic. I found an article by Cleveland Clinic that gave even more information about the benefits of consuming dark chocolate. Three doctors have said that Cleveland clinic is a reliable source, therefore I would say this claim is true; dark chocolate does have health benefits.
Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dark-chocolate-health-benefits

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The claim “Dark chocolate is found to have health benefits” is proven correct through the research and support from numerous validated sources. Research covered states dark chocolate is high in antioxidants, improves heart health and can even support brain function. The internal article refers to the chocolate as “superfood” (Katz, 2019), while an external article from Healthline supports this claim by providing seven proven benefits based on the consumption of this food (Gunnars, 2021). That said, it is essential to be able to understand the credibility of sources, specifically in this case, where the information is coming from. When analyzing more sources, credibility can be found in the sources with actual statistics or proven data coming from the benefits of dark chocolate. Such as scientific data, referring to how dark chocolate contributes to cardiovascular health. Through analyzing some articles with scientific data as well as the internal article, I was able to fact check the information I was receiving. This allowed for an accurate depiction of the information being shared in the original article.
Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
https://www.popcornforthepeople.com/blogs/blog/dark-chocolate-health-benefits?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyfe4BhAWEiwAkIL8sARX5ELuJqPL1WAgB2Nqjli3baBFzYsFJGvYyjy1FH0KdRAbP9jkTBoCYZoQAvD_BwE

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Upon reading this article, I was skeptical on exactly how dark chocolate could have health benefits because I have always personally tied anything chocolate to being unhealthy. After reading the article and doing some outside research, I do see that it is actually beneficial and can be preventative to certain illnesses. This article also uses hsph.harvard.edu as a source which is very reliable. Overall this article is very spot on and accurate.

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This claim is accurate! The article begins by referencing Harvard, which states that dark chocolate is rich in flavanols that help protect the heart from cardiovascular diseases. It goes on to make additional claims about dark chocolate, such as its ability to prevent cancer, improve cognitive function, and protect against free radicals. Harvard is the sole source backing these claims, so I found another article on the topic. I came across a piece from the Cleveland Clinic that provides even more details about the health benefits of dark chocolate. Three doctors have confirmed that Cleveland Clinic is a reliable source, so I would affirm that the claim is true, dark chocolate does offer health benefits.

Answer 1

Yes I do find this claim to be true from my own research. I would like to point out though that using a blog from popcornforthepeople.com makes the claim seem to be a bit biased as blog posts are not often read to be used as scientific claims. I went through a few other reputable resources and found that the Cleveland Health Clinic wrote an article about the benefits of dark chocolate. They discussed the same benefits about the minerals in the chocolate, the flavanols that have been proven to reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, and even mentions other benefits not stated in the blog. The article does point out something that the blog fails to point out and that is that it is important to consume dark chocolate in moderation and that it can become unhealthy if overconsumed. It doesn't seem like this is something that the blog post would want to mention as it is advertising for it's own product at the end. 

Article referenced: Dark Chocolate Health Benefits

Answer 2

I think your claim is accurate. After doing some research I came across a  MedicalNewsToday article that listed all the health benefits you listed like improving blood flow, containing antioxidants, and being able to help resist diseases like cancer and diabetes. The article led me to another article by the National Library of Medicine, which also talked about the same ideas. Specifically you mentioned cardiovascular disease as one thing dark chocolate has a positive effect on. The article by MedicalNewstoday cited a study done where dark chocolate was more effective with older people and those who have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The source they linked was another article by the National Library of Medicine, and after checking it out, it is accurate. At first I was weary because the link you provided with this claim has no other sources linked. A lot of reliable sources will link other pages in their text when citing them, which usually proves if it’s accurate or not, but after doing my research, I believe that this claim is true. Below I have added the sources I looked at. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dark-chocolate 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6950163/ 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5465250/ 

Answer 3

After some research I have found that dark chocolate does in fact have health benefits, some of which are due to the fact that dark chocolate contains antioxidants which help to lower your blood pressure and increase your heart rate. It also has the ability to reduce stress and improve brain function as it contains flavonols and is shown to reduce the stress hormone called cortisol.  

Overall i do think that dark chocolate can be considered good for you but in no way should it be eaten in replacement of nutrients your body needs.

Answer 4

Although dark chocolate isn't a fix-all, it's still very healthy and a good alternative to regular desserts. According to MedicalNewsToday, when consumed in moderation "dark chocolate is rich in minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and zinc. it can have various health benefits, including reducing inflammation and decreasing the risk of heart disease. Chocolate comes from cacao, a plant with high levels of minerals and antioxidants." The key is choosing dark chocolate that has a high cocoa content (70% or more), as that tends to have the most health benefits and the least sugar. It’s still important to keep an eye on portion size since it’s calorie-dense.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dark-chocolate#Dark-chocolate-health-benefits

Answer 5

I would have to agree with the claim that chocolate holds multiple health benefits. The source provided is clear, organized and up to date. I think it is extremely important to add that dark chocolate is only healthy in moderation- not excessive amounts. Otherwise, it is slightly misleading. 

 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate

This article provides very similar evidence, dark chocolate can provide antioxidants and minerals and may even help prevent heart disease. Although there are many benefits, it still contains high amounts of sugar and calories...

Chocolate can also improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, may improve skin from the sun as well as improve brain function. 

Answer 6

The claim that dark chocolate has health benefits appears to be true. The article they used is from the Popcorn for the People website, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating jobs for adults with autism and developmental disabilities. Popcorn for the People sells popcorn products, one is a dark chocolate expresso flavor. So, this article could be biased since they're promoting one of their popcorn flavors, but the company is a nonprofit. Jason Katz, the Operations manager for Popcorn for the People, wrote the article. To trace the claim I went to an article from Healthline which is medically reviewed by a nutritionist and written by Kris Gunnars, who has a bachelor's degree in medicine. Both articles state that chocolate has the same nutritional value, such as iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and antioxidants. They both match that dark chocolate has heart health, and cognitive function bonuses. 

Sources:

BSc, Kris Gunnars. “7 Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate.” Healthline, 13 July 2022,

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate

Answer 7

Based on my research, the claim that dark chocolate has health benefits seems to be true. Dark chocolate offers a plethora of health benefits but only in moderation since it is still full of sugar and can be highly processed. However, dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, it helps protect the body from free radicals and can reduce inflammation. According to the article dark chocolate can improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and enhancing blood flow, while also boosting brain function due to its stimulants like caffeine and theobromine. 

I found the same ideas on the Cleveland Clinics website where they confirm this article's claims. The article also touches on dark chocolate being high in natural flavanol which is good for the body. The one thing that the first article didn't mention was that dark chocolate is only good in moderation.

Article: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dark-chocolate-health-benefits

Answer 8

Your claim that dark chocolate offers many health benefits is partially true, dark chocolate can improve cognitive function due to its richness in polyphenols and dark chocolate can also decrease your risk for heart disease. However, I found very weak or incomplete evidence that showed dark chocolate can prevent cancer in any way. Additionally your original source article says that, "studies are still being conducted" around the question.

Sources: https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/dark-chocolate-health-benefits-the-good-and-the-bad-to-this-sweet-treat/2023/02

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024004614

Answer 9

This claim is for the most part true. Sources say the eating chocolate can do things like protect the heart from cardiovascular diseases, dark chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants, including flavonoids and polyphenols, which help combat free radicals.

health.clevelandclinic.org

healthline.com

Answer 10

This claim is true and has evidence to back it up.

The truth is, dark chocolate can have health benefits when consumed in moderation. There is research linked with dark chocolate improving the health and well being. The blog article that was linked states that consuming dark chocolate can help protect against cardiovascular diseases. Although this is true, the blog article itself does not provide enough factual evidence to support this claim. But, I have found a credible research article that helps support this claim. 

According to the National Library of Medicine, "regular consumption of dark chocolate will lower the occurrence of high blood pressure. Thus, it delays the occurrence of Cardio Vascular Diseases...", the article contains factual evidence and has been peer-reviewed by multiple professionals, overall supporting this claim and includes the fact that dark chocolate can overall improve your health when consumed in moderation.

Samanta, Sharmistha, et al. “Dark Chocolate: An Overview of Its Biological Activity, Processing, and Fortification Approaches.” Current Research in Food Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Oct. 2022, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9589144/#sec4.