'Benefits of chocolate-revised\r'

'How can or sothing so beloved be so cock-a-hoop? This was a scruple that I often asked myself fleck devouring the candy and drinking burnt umber I squirreled away in my â€Å" sp are drawer. ” I grew up in a theater that has always been health conscious. My mother was one of those arrange and natural food fiends who believed that popcorn was the solo unimpeachable â€Å"junk food. ” Every Halloween she would remind us that she was allow us go out to trick or treat for traditions sake. She would thus go into what I on the QT called the â€Å"evil candy lecture”.(Think Willy Wonkas dad in Charlie and the burnt umber Factory. ) She would frighten us with stories of baby birds having their teeth snuff it out later eating candy. This lecture was reiterate at Easter heretofore as our grandparents turn over us huge c moroseee berry bunnies and coffee tree eggs. As we grew older and wiser to the myth of the falling teeth, she changed tactics and warned us about zits and plenteous. We wouldnt want to look like a pimple that grew a face now, would we? She was pretty overmuch the same with the kids I went home with who, after raiding the refrigerator for umber would turn up changeuous handed.Mom would always chide us saying: â€Å"You guys already name so much energy that you cant even sit still. What would you want more abrasion for? ” To me, chocolate is that â€Å"secret sin” that a lot of peck hide within the very cold depths of their refrigerators. plurality sneak bites of that luscious brown concoction, savoring its corsage that varies from the unrelenting and bittersweet to the hybrid milk chocolate like it was something so illegal. The many warnings against indulging in the often foil-wrapped sweet treat are unending.The dentist would warn against the extra acid needed to answer left over chocolate in the blab out that therefore resolvent into cavities. feedists and dietitians use the ma gic â€Å"C-word” or calories when preaching against the evils of chocolate consumption. The media including television, the movies or advertising to a fault add to the popular concerns about chocolate pulmonary tuberculosis. a great deal portrayed, the scene has become familiar †a kid eating chocolate and candy normally is shown unclouded bad teeth or is a flump slob with chocolate stains all over his men and shirt.The svelte and gorgeous ladies on day era shows referring to chocolate, legal community and ice cream as â€Å"guilty” things. coffee beans heights levels of sugar, fat and calories sustain been blamed for a pot of bad things from diabetes, acne, to rapidly and uncontrollably expanding waistlines. Yet it talent surprise people to know that chocolate does pass a practiced side to it. Minus the sugar and calories, it can al just about qualify as a health food. â€Å"The botanical name for the cacao †or coffee †bean is Theobroma, meaning Food Of The Gods. ” (â€Å"Charlies deep brown Fact-Ory; SOME,” 2005, p. 24)Cocoa beans are the source of chocolate. While no chocolate formula is alike, it is an accepted fact that cocoa beans from which chocolate is derived from is rich in flavonoids or plant chemicals which have polyphenol which exhibits anti-oxidant properties (Isham, 2007. p. 27 ). While polyphenol is also present in many fruits, vegetables, tea and red wine, some people whitethorn say that it is easier to be â€Å"healthy” when you real like the food you are eating. (â€Å"More hail-fellow News…” 1993) Between broccoli and a Snickers discontinue… is this really a choice?Recent studies have also shown that flavonoids protect the heart from the damaging cause of unstable oxygen compounds, which can damage logical argument vessels. A study conducted in Germany and produce in the diary of the American Medical Association suggests that the intake of dark chocol ate could lower crosscurrent pressure. resembling studies have also shown that the flavonoids tack in cocoa have anti-blood clotting properties and could decrease the level of tenuity lipoproteins, otherwise known as bad cholesterol. (Taubert, Roesen, et. al. 2007)The biennial study, which was conducted at a primary care clinic in Germany from 2005 to 2006, tryed adults with mild untreated hypertension. Half of the test subjects where given polyphenol-rich dark chocolate bars while half where given white chocolate, which is mainly do up of cocoa cover. Results indicated no change from the blood pressure of the white chocolate eating sort out while an average drop of 5 points of systolic pressure and 2 points of diastolic pressure was monitored from the dark-chocolate separate within two weeks. (Taubert, 2007)So while eating dark chocolate could be beneficial to our health, what about the divinatory as well asth cavities it brings? It has after all been widely believed th at the acid the rim needed to produce to â€Å"clean” the chocolate off teeth amends tooth enamel and causes decay. According to question through with(p) by the Forsyth Dental Center in Boston Massachusetts, â€Å"normal consumption of milk chocolates, peculiarly at meals” had no direct connection in causing cavities since chocolate by itself has the ability to â€Å" first-class honours degree the acid-producing potential” of its sugar substance.(â€Å"Myths and Facts”) What about the supposed correlation between chocolates and acne? Much to the delight of chocolate lovers, self-reliant studies done at the University of Pennsylvania and the U. S. Naval honorary society have categorically disproved this myth. There is also no truth that chocolate lovers take in too much caffeine. An ounce of milk chocolate only take holds 6 mg. of caffeine, not much more than what is found in a cup of decaffeinated coffee. The only fat in plain chocolate comes fr om cocoa thoter, which is produced when the cook cocoa seeds are pressed.Comparing cocoa butter fat with other fats in food, researchers have discovered that in spite of its total saturated fat content, cocoa butter does not raise levels of bad cholesterol much(prenominal) as other kids of fat did. Such was the result of a study conducted by Dr. Margo Denke and Dr. Scott M. Grundy as published in the December 1991 issue of The American diary of Clinical Nutrition. (â€Å"More ‘Friendly News About deep brown And Beef,” 1992). Rather than be harmful, cocoa butter is good given its high stearic acid content, which is cholesterol neutral.(Ross, 2001) Even chocolate milk is better than retributive plain milk as it has been proven to contain more zinc, potassium, niacin and riboflavin than plain entire milk. (Roesel & angstrom; Overly) Experts say that to get the best practical antioxidant benefits, one should prefer dark chocolates and not those assorted with milk a s it appears that the milk solids deter the assiduity of antioxidants. (Taubert, 2007) There is also that persistent belief that some component or chemical part of chocolates pass them habit-forming.Leah Porter, vice president of scientific affairs for the cocoa Manufacturers Association in Vienna, believes that the supposed addiction is however craving caused by the taste and smell of chocolate. â€Å" coffees greet is due to aroma, flavor and creaminess, not any addictive properties,” says Ms. Porter, who holds a doctorate in plant intelligences. â€Å"If its addictive, then other foods are addictive. ” (â€Å" drinking chocolates Dark Little riddle;,” 2005, p. B01) Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that increases in our brains that gives us a feeling of well-being and euphoria that is similar to the feeling of being in love.(â€Å"‘ consume Chocolate restores You,” 2006, p. 30) In addition to this, it also stimulates h ormones that numb â€Å"pain” areas making it an effective and non-medicated answer to headaches (Daly & Fredholm, 2004, p. 1) Given this, it is no wonder that chocolate is among the most common â€Å"comfort” foods that people crave for specially in times when they are down and emotionally distressed. Despite these findings, critics abound against the touted health benefits of chocolate. Many are skeptical about these so-called benefits and view pro-chocolate studies as highly biased since these were commissioned by the chocolate manufacturers themselves.Some researchers question the supposed benefits of flavonoids saying that sufficient tests in a controlled environment have not been done (Tanner, 2003). Add to this the fact that most tests done are through chocolate manufacturing industry funded research damages their findings credibility. John W. Erdman, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois concurs with this problem bu t notes that it is a â€Å"necessary evil” since research would be very difficult to conduct if it relied entirely on independent funding (Schmidt, 2002).Erdman further adds that most of the time the Food and Drug Administration only conducts tests after preliminary research has been done. He adds that one autocratic way to look at things is that at least, it may not be such a bad thing that companies are investigating the nutritional apprize of their products. (Schmidt, 2002)ReferencesCharlies Chocolate Fact-Ory; SOME TASTY FACTS ON OUR deary SNACK 2ozs Can Kill a trail Was Once a Medicine 400 Beans Make 1lb It Speeds Heartbeat. (2005, July 17). The People (London, England), p. 24. Chocolates Dark Little Secret; Whats heartfelt and Whats Not about Tasty Treat. (2005, March 22).The capital letter Times, p. B01. Daly, J. W. , & Fredholm, B. B. (2004). 1 Mechanisms of Action of Caffeine on the Nervous System. In Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain, Nehlig, A. (Ed. ) (pp. 1-11). Boca Raton, FL: Routledge. Retrieved October 9, 2007 from http://www. questia. com/read/108551912 ‘rusting Chocolate Makes You Feel Good. (2006, December 19). South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales), p. 30. Isham, A. (2007) â€Å"Eat (More) Chocolate â€Lose Weight (Anyway)” The Chocoholics Survival taper and Practical Handbook. Pandora McShannon Press. â€Å"More ‘Friendly News About Chocolate And Beef” (1992) Southwestern Medical Center for sympathetic Nutrition. (Dallas, Texas).Retrieved from Southwestern Medical Center for Human Nutrition database: http://www8. utsouthwestern. edu/utsw/cda/dept27717/files/48295. html.â€Å"Myths and Facts. ” Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from Chocolate Chocolate Company website: http://www. chocolatechocolate. com/mythfact. htm.Nehlig, A. (Ed. ). (2004). Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain. Boca Raton, FL: Routledge. Ross, J. (2001 March), â€Å"Cocoa and Chocolate as useable Foods” Natural Health Products Technology Cluster. Retrieved from htttp://www. uoguelph. ca/nhptc/Jessica1. html.Roesel, K., Overly, B. â€Å" all in all About Chocolate” Kentucky State University Cooperative accompaniment Program Retrieved from http://ces. ca. uky. edu/bourbon/fcs/all_about_chocolate. htm.Schmidt, P. (2002) â€Å"Chocolates Potential Health Benefits †and its Effect on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients. ” ImmuneSupport. com. Retrieved from ImmuneSupport databse: http://www. immunesupport. com/library/showarticle. cfm/ID/3464/ Tanner, L. ( 2003 August 27)”Studies essay Light, Dark Sides of Milk, Dark Chocolate. ” USA Today. USA Today. com. Retrieved October 9, 2007 from http://www. usatoday. com/ give-and-take/health/2003-08-27-dark-chocolate_x.htm.Taubert, D. (2007 July 3) Consumption Of Small Amounts Of Dark Chocolate Associated With Reduction In downslope Pressure. Journal of the American Medical Association (JA MA). Retrieved from JAMA database: http://pubs. ama-assn. org/media/2007j/0703. dtl#1 Taubert, D. Roesen, R. Lehman, C. Jung, N. Schomig, E. (2007) â€Å"Effects of poor Habitual Cocoa Intake on Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide: A Randomized Controlled Trial. ” Journal of American Medical Association Vol. 298 No. 1. pp 49-60 Retrieved October 9, 2007 from JAMA database: http://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/content/abstract/298/1/49.\r\n'