Chocolate – Not Too Little, Not Too Much

Chocolate lovers have found an excuse to indulge in recent years. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants (in the form of flavonoids) and possibly anti-inflammatory substances. Unfortunately, it also contains plenty of calories and fat. So how much chocolate can one eat - doing good without harm? Italian researchers have studied this, and reported in the Journal of Nutrition.

Some 20,000 inhabitants of the Molise region of Southern Italy were enrolled in a study of the mechanism of inflammation. Chocolate intake was assessed by questionnaires. Blood C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured as a marker of inflammation in the body. There were 4,849 subjects who were in good health and without cardiovascular risk factors.

Among the healthy participants, 1317 didn’t eat chocolate, while 824 ate chocolate regularly – but just dark chocolate. Those eating moderate amounts regularly had significantly lower levels of blood CRP; the reduction was apparently small (17%), but clinically relevant: enough to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease for one in three women and one in four men.

The relation between dark chocolate intake and CRP was a J-shaped curve. The ‘ideal’ level of CRP reached – 1.1 mg/L – corresponded to 1 serving (20 grams) every 3 days. More, or less, chocolate was linked to higher CRP levels.

The common chocolate bar is 100 grams. The findings in this study suggest the optimum amount of chocolate to eat is about half a bar per week. Not very much, you may say, rightly. But nibbling a square or so of chocolate after lunch or dinner every day is a nice routine to develop, and should ‘hit the spot’ as far as CRP is concerned. Now all we need to know is whether that’s important enough to limit you to 1-2 squares . . .