A study from the University of Scranton shows that eating chocolate may help prevent heart attacks.

Before the bad LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream can form plaques in arteries, it must first be converted to oxidized LDL. Dr. Joseph Vinson of the University of Scranton showed that chocolate contains chemicals called flavonoids that were even more effective than vitamin C in preventing the bad LDL cholesterol from being converted to oxidized LDL. However, almost all plants that we eat contain antioxidants in one form or another, and flavonoids are found in berries, peppers, carrots, tomatoes and many other foods. Cocoa beans taste so bitter that manufacturers add fat and sugar to make chocolate taste good, and fat and sugar add extra calories that most people do not need. Dr. Vinson's research was supported by American Chocolate Research Institute.

December 1999 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Checked 8/31/05