Good Lifestyle

Chocolate is a desire that many of us know it too well. The question is not to know if we are going to give in and have chocolate - it is if we will opt for ice cream, cookies or candy bars to satisfy desire. But while you could consider chocolate as a guilty indulgence, there is evidence that this sweet could have potential health benefits. And now, new information from the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA) lends even more credibility to the idea that chocolate can even play a role in reducing your risk of heart disease. Read the rest to find out more about the latest discoveries.

Read this then: High blood pressure? Drinking 2 cups of coffee daily doubles cardiac disease risk of death, a new study reveals .

People have been consuming more chocolate in recent years. A 2021 survey From the North American Cocoa and Cargill Chocolate team found that consumption was up, Food Navigator reported.

Researchers interviewed 600 American grocery buyers and found that around a third of consumers admitted to having increased their chocolate consumption as a result of the pandemic. The National Confriters Association (NCA) also said that chocolate grocery sales increased 17.9% in the past year, according to the media.

"The adage that" everyone loves chocolate "is really true - less than 3% of consumers say they avoid chocolate", " Gretchen Hadden , the manager of marketing for North American Cocoa and Cargill chocolate, said in a press release by food navigator.

Three out of four of the interviewees said they turned a daily chocolate treat to reward themselves. According to the survey, 72% also agreed that chocolate raises their mood, while 59% said it increased their energy and 52% said chocolate crossed them a difficult day.

But what about the link between chocolate and heart health?

At the same time, some chocolate producers have worked to bring managers to recognize the health benefits of chocolate.

In 2018, the Swiss manufacturer of Chocolate Barry Callebaut Subject to a petition at the FDA, requesting that the agency "examines a qualified health allegation" on the capacity of someone's risk of cocoa to reduce someone's risk of cardiovascular disease.

Flavonols are a Type of plant nutrients Found abundantly in cocoa beans, which are fermented, dried and roasted to create cocoa powder which can then be used to make chocolate, explains Harvard Health.

A qualified health allegation (QHC) "characterizes the relationship between a substance and a health -related disease or disease," according to the FDA. Barry Callebaut's petition prompted the FDA to approve a complaint on the link between the consumption of cocoa flavanols and a reduced risk of heart disease, so that the manufacturer can use it on its product labels.

"Favorable but not very conclusive scientific evidence suggest that the consumption of at least 200 mg of cocoa flavanols daily, such as those provided by a cocoa powder with high flavanol, or a semi-sucked dark chocolate in flavanol or in Flavanol, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease "Barry Callebaut's proposed affirmations can be read.

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The FDA finally responded to Barry Callebaut's petition following a four -year exam.

"After examining the petition and other elements of evidence linked to the proposed health demand, the FDA determined that there is very limited credible scientific evidence for a qualified health affirmation for Flavanol cocoa in a cocoa powder With a high content in Flavanol and a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases ", the agency said on February 3.

In a Letter of application of the law Emitted on the same day, the FDA said that it would not oppose the use of certain QHCs in reference to the connection between a high content cocoa powder and a reduced risk of heart disease, as long as the complaint is "appropriately so as not to mislead consumers and that other factors for using the complaint are completed."

The agency has provided four examples of QHC which could be used in the label of conventional foods, consequently.

"Very limited scientific evidence suggest that the consumption of cocoa flavanols in a cocoa powder rich in Flavanol, which contains at least 4% of naturally preserved cocoa flavanols, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease," said one of the approved affirmations.

According to the letter from the FDA, "no credible study has been identified" which supported a direct relationship between cocoa flavanols in semi-sucked chocolate or dark chocolate and reducing cardiovascular disease. Instead, the two credible studies cited by the FDA only evaluated the cocoa flavanols in cocoa powder with high content in Flavanol - by making the agency to approve the claims only for this concentrated form of chocolate. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"These data are particularly important because semi-suckled dark chocolate [or] has much higher levels of calories, total fats and saturated fats than cocoa powder, which could influence the effects of the risk of disease cardiovascular, "added the FDA.

Despite this stipulation, TJ Mulvihill , Marketing vice-president, North America in Barry Callebaut, said that the new update is an "important step in the development of cocoa as an ingredient", according to to a declaration on the official website of the company.

"We know that American consumers are increasingly interested in how the food they love have an impact on the environment and personal health," added Mulvihill. "We now know that, in combination with a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, the consumption of cocoa flavanols in cocoa powder rich in flavanol can help support cardiovascular health."