Chocolate contains the same phenols as red wine. Phenols are simple molecules, made of a few oxygen and hydrogen atoms. They course through the body, neutralizing molecules called free radicals that skulk around the bloodstream. Free radicals are missing an essential ingredient, an electron, so they try to scavenge electrons from cells. This damages the cells.
Antioxidants contribute an electron in defense.
The body has its own set of riot police to stop the radicals, but the system breaks down as the body ages. Scientists think the attacks by free radicals, and the damage they cause, leads to heart disease and some kinds of cancer, as well as the general deterioration of the body with age. Like the antioxidants in red wine, the phenols in chocolate battle the oxidation reaction that lead to the buildup of plaque. Chocolate as medicine Humans have enjoyed red wine and chocolate for thousands of years, but probably not for their phenols. The agreeable effects of wine on the human body are well known, and the drink tastes pleasant.