Health Effects of Dark Chocolate

Abstract

The consumption of chocolate and cocoa products are increasing worldwide. Among several chocolate products available in today’s market, dark chocolate, in particular, hold its importance due to its high content of cocoa, which is thought to be responsible for its associated health promoting effects such blood pressure, lipid metabolism, vascular functions and several aspects related to quality of life, as compared to other varieties such as milk or white chocolate. However, due to research limitations and confounding factors such as study design, size of population and use of different types/doses of chocolate products and their content, further large scale human trials are needed to confirm and recommend chocolate as part of our healthy diet.