Recent research indicates possible health benefits. Lubanski of Claremont quickly added that she tries to encourage patients to stay within American Heart Association guidelines. Because 1 ounce of chocolate has 150 calories and 10 grams of fat, eating the treat should be compensated for in the diet. A few patients and family members have asked her about the recently publicized health benefits of eating chocolate, Lubanski said.
Studies are still ongoing.
But the potential benefits sound exciting to chocoholics. Consumer Reports in its March issue reported that about half the fat in chocolate is believed to have a neutral effect on cholesterol. Citing a recent study where male college graduates who ate a moderate amount of chocolate lived about a year longer than those who ate none, the article tentatively hypothesized that the phenols, or antioxidants, in chocolate might help prevent artery clogging. In a March 29 article in The Los Angeles Times, Rosie Mestel reported more good news about chocolate from the American Chemical Society s annual spring conference in Anaheim. Joe A. Vinson, Professor of Chemistry, The University of Scranton, Scranton, Pa., one of the chief researchers who presented papers on antioxidants in chocolate at the ACE conference, has done research on antioxidants in many other foods and beverages, such as tea and coffee.