יש בשוקולד [בעיקר מריר , פחות בחלב ובכלל לא בלבן] פוליפנולים שהם נוגדי חמצון טובים. חומצת השומן הרוויה [stearic acid] העיקרית בו כנראה לא משפיעה לרעה על רמות הכולסטרול בדם. אני לא אגיד שזה האידיאל , אבל גם פה יש יתרונות.
IS CHOCOLATE A HEALTH FOOD?
We have long been told that our diets should include lots of fruits and vegetables because they are good sources of antioxidants. Antioxidants protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cataracts, and they slow the effects of aging. Recent studies show that chocolate has high levels of antioxidants—complex mixtures of phenolic compounds On a weight basis, the concentration of antioxidants in chocolate is higher than the concentration in red wine or green tea and 20 times higher than the concentration in tomatoes. Dark chocolate contains more than twice the level of antioxidants as milk chocolate. Unfortunately, white chocolate contains no antioxidants. Another piece of good news is that stearic acid, the main fatty acid in chocolate, does not appear to raise blood cholesterol levels the way other saturated fatty acids do.
מתוך ספר כימיה אורגנית של ברוס.