Chocolate has a long and illustrious reputation. Made from cocoa, which is derived from the beans of the cacao tree (whose scientific name translates to "food of the gods"), it was used by some of the earliest Mesoamerican cultures as food, medicine, ritual offering and perhaps even currency. It's no less valuable in modern times; the global chocolate market grew by nearly 20 per cent from 2016 to 2021, with an approximate revenue of $980 billion ($1,590bn) in 2021, according to the market research firm Statista.
Taste surely plays a role in chocolate's popularity, but you may have also heard that this delectable treat is good for your health. How does this perception stack up against the science?
"Cocoa is clearly good for you," said Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. "Whether chocolate is good for you or not depends on how much cocoa is actually in it, and what else is in it."
Cocoa beans are packed with fibre and "loads of phytonutrients," Mozaffarian said, referring to the natural chemicals found in plants. Cocoa is thought to contain about 380 different chemicals, among them, a large class of compounds called flavanols that have attracted significant research interest for their potential health benefits. But it's less clear how many flavanols and other phytonutrients you need to improve health, or whether your chocolate bar of choice contains enough of them to do so. And experts have differing opinions on this point.
Milk chocolate typically contains about 20 per cent cocoa, Mozaffarian said, though the cocoa content can vary. (The Food and Drug Administration requires milk chocolate to contain at least 10 per cent cocoa, but some milk chocolate bars contain as much as 50 per cent or more.) Dark chocolate usually contains more cocoa than milk chocolate, but it can also vary greatly, so check labels carefully, he said. For possible health benefits, he recommended choosing dark chocolate that is at least 70 per cent cocoa.