Ever since Hernando Cortez discovered that Montezume drank 50 golden cups of cocoa daily, chocolate has been the subject of considerable medical speculation. To the Aztecs, drinking chocolate conferred on their Emperor universal knowledge and wisdom. Within a century of its introduction into Europe, chocolate gained a reputation as a potent libido lifter, a theory popularized by Casanova, the Venetian libertine, and by Madame Pompadour, the mistress to the French King Louis XV. Such beliefs launched chocolate’s appeal across Europe. Its popularity accelerated unchecked when the Pope declined to consider chocolate as a "fast breaker", thus freeing its consumption from potential moral opprobrium.

But only within the last ten years has medical research identified chocolate’s healthy properties. These properties include as a potent antioxidant capability inhibiting (low-density lipoprotein) LDL cholesterol buildup, as a human immune system modulator, as a stress and ulcer reducer, and as a cancer fighter. However, researchers still must prove that chocolate’s healthy components are absorbed by the body and not just excreted as expensive urine.

Japanese confectioners have been marketing the health benefits of cocoa since 1995, according to Japanscan, a market research publication concentrating on the Japanese food, drink and nutraceutical market. The demand for cocoa has doubled from 10,500 tons in 1994 to 21,600 tons in 1997. "Healthy" chocolate products were introduced in1996. Japanese confectioners hope that these products will continue to revitalize the market by broadening chocolate’s appeal through targeting middle-aged adults who are not traditional chocolate consumers. [Japanscan:1998]

While such "healthy" chocolate products are not yet available in the US, general consumer interest in products with reported antioxidant properties (such as, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc, etc.) is very high. In fact, the demand for antioxidant dietary supplements has become the fastest-growing segment of the health supplement market, growing 4.8% last year, according to Applied Biometrics, a marketing research firm. [Anonymous:1999a]

Anatomy of Chocolate

Cocoa mass (cocoa liquor) contains about 600 components, a fact that helps explain chocolate’s complex nature. The main components include cocoa butter (54%), protein (11.5%), fiber (3-10%), organic acids and aromas (9.5%), cellulose (9%), tannic acids and color (6%), water (5%), mineral salts (2.6%), theobromine (1.2%), sugars (1%), and caffeine (0.2%). [Nielsen:1995] The amount of cocoa mass in a chocolate bar can vary between 7-15% in milk chocolate to 30-77% in dark chocolate.

Medically Significant Components

Researchers have identified chocolate’s polyphenols, methlxanthines, and anadamines as the active ingredients that may have potential medical benefits. The following is a brief overview of these components. A more complete analysis can be found in the new ICCO/ICREF publication Chocolate & Cocoa-Health and Nutrition edited by Ian Knight.

Polyphenols

With over 8,000 variations having been identified, polyphenols are common substances throughout the plant kingdom. They provide an important role in plant metabolism, provide some defense against predators (by their astringency), form the brilliant colors in many fruits and vegetables, and prevent premature seed germination. Being so ubiquitous, polyphenols naturally form an integral role in human and animal diets. Until recently, their role had been classified by animal nutritionists as "anti-nutrients" due to the adverse affect on protein and carbohydrate digestibility of tannin, which is itself a compound polyphenol.

Current research has focused on another class of plant phenolics, the flavonoids, which exhibit considerable antioxidant properties by scavenging free radicals and other reactive oxygen species formed during normal metabolism. Left unattended, free radicals attack DNA and eventually accelerate the aging process and likelihood of cancer. Flavonoids are responsible for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, inhibiting LDL cholesterol oxidation [Waterhouse et al:1996] and modulating the immune functions. [Sanbongi et al:1997]

These benefits have led some health food enthusiasts to consider flavonoids as the "new frontier" in the nutritional sciences. Food products identified as containing high levels of flavonoids, such as red wine, grape seeds, green tea extract, and bilberry, have exploded.

In fact, the current rage in Europe is a capsule containing crushed grape seed extract designed as an anti-aging treatment. Princess Caroline of Monaco, French actress Isabella Adjani, and other celebrities have espoused this "time-machine tablet". [Anonymous:1999a] In Japan, sales of Bon Rouge screw-top wine that contains 1½ times the polyphenols as regular wine have quadrupled since last year when wine maker Mercian ran ads declaring, "Good taste. Good for your body. Twice as much natural polyphenols". [Ono:1999]

The fact that chocolate is slow to rancidify despite its high fat content has lead researchers to study chocolate’s natural preservative or antioxidant properties. Vinson has determined that a typical 40-gram (1.4-ounce) serving of milk chocolate contains 394 mg of polyphenols, more than the recommended daily amount of the popular antioxidants vitamin E, vitamin C, or beta-carotene. On a weight equivalent basis Chocolate’s phenolic content is greater than red wine or green tea and nearly three times greater than grapes. Moreover, dark chocolate contains twice the phenolic content as milk chocolate. [Vinson:1999].

Researchers funded by M&M/Mars have recently determined that some flavonoid components (specifically, quercetin and catechin) are better antioxidants than are other components. "Fifty years of research on vitamins has shown us than individual vitamins exhibit different properties. We have only begun similar research on flavonoids," explained Dr. Harold Schmitz, a senior scientist at M&M/Mars.

Methylxanthines (theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline) These alkaloid compounds affect human health and physiology. The amount of caffeine in a 42-gram (1½-ounce) milk chocolate bar is about 9 mg, as compared with 115 mg in a cup of coffee. French research released this March reported that moderate amounts of caffeine were neither addicting nor harmful.

Anandamine This is a brain lipid that binds to cannabinoid receptors and mimics the psychoactive effects of cannabinoid drugs. [di Tomaso et al:1996]. Whether chocolate anandamine is absorbed in levels capable of producing psychotropic effects or at least the state of bliss as described by chocolate cravers, has not yet been proven. Thus, the psychopharmacology of chocolate in the eyes of one researcher remains "more than a food but less than a drug." [Huxtable:1994:412].

Miscellaneous Health Claims Research published last year by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that moderate chocolate and candy eaters (three times a month) tend to live a year longer than non-confectionery eaters. [Lee and Paffenbarger:1998] Japanese researchers have identified cocoa polyphenols as having anti-ulcer capabilities. [Osakabe et al:1998:1535] German scientists have reported that cocoa has the ability to stimulate gallbladder contractility and thus assist with gallstone elimination. [Nitsche et al:1998:135] Despite prevalent beliefs to the contrary, chocolate does not cause headaches [Marcus et al:1997], acne, childhood hyperactivity [Krummel et al:1996], or irritable bowel symptoms. [Rossner:1997:344] The pre-menstrual desire for chocolate has been demonstrated, but not explained. [Rozin et al:1991]

These reports have led the McLean, Virginia-based Chocolate Manufacturers Association to dampen speculation about chocolate’s health benefits until more clinical tests are conducted. In a recent press release, CMA Vice-President of Scientific Affairs Carol Knight, Ph.D. wrote: "What we have learned so far is that chocolate is an excellent source of antioxidants. Now we have to determine if they are absorbed by our bodies."

Market History

The idea that chocolate contains nutritious properties is not new. Sixty years ago in World War II combat troops were rationed three chocolate bars a day, at times their only source of food. Chocolate’s recognized properties included a highly concentrated source of energy provided by caffeine and sugar, as well as phenols preventing cocoa fat rancidification.

The commercial marketing of the potential health benefits of chocolate started only several years ago. In 1995 a Japanese TV program extolled the virtues of cocoa as a source for both dietary fiber and for theobromine, which was said to lower serum cholesterol. This caused a big sales boost in cocoa products, according to the Japanscan report on Japanese Functional Foods and Drinks. A year later Japanese confectioners took advantage of cocoa’s good publicity by launching "healthy" chocolate products, such as Hershey Kisses that stressed their fiber content.

To catch the wave of enthusiasm generated by the health benefits of red wines, Morinaga & Company introduced polyphenol chocolate bars in 1998 followed shortly afterwards by Lotte Company and Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd. These are three of Japan’s largest confectioners. Many of the chocolate bars’ wrappers prominently display their polyphenol content, but make no medical claims as this would require approval by the FOSHU (food for specified health use) system. The companies rely on the media to get their message across.

This year, a second generation of Japanese healthy chocolate products has been released. These products supplement chocolate’s polyphenols with other functional ingredients, such as beneficial live bacteria or red wine centers. Here are four examples:

• Morinaga & Company: Morinaga Red Wine Chocolate and Morinaga Yogurt Chocolate. According to the company, the red wine (a French wine extract) chocolate has the double benefit of two sources of polyphenols and is aimed at people in the 20-50 age bracket. The yogurt chocolate is targeted at people from senior high school to age 30 and contains both high polyphenols and live bifidus bacteria. These bacteria are said to have a beneficial effect on the intestine.

• Lotte Reika: Lotte Cacao no Megumi (megumi means blessing) is an ice cream bar advertised as containing the polyphenolic equivalent of three glasses of red wine.

• Meiji Seika Kaisha: Meiji Chocolate Kouka (or Effectiveness of Chocolate) features high polyphenol chocolate (2,000 mg/100 g) sold in handy pocket packs with shakeout dispenser. It is targeted at young working women and housewives.

• Uni Café: Uni Café Coffee Kouka (or efficacy of coffee) is a crisp puffed coffee ball made from regular coffee and coated in chocolate. This coffee company’s literature extols the product’s multifunctional capability: caffeine to prevent drowsiness, fiber content in the puff center (equivalent to two sticks of celery), polyphenols (equal to two glasses of red wine), and sugar for energy.

Japanese manufacturers hope that these healthy chocolate products will revitalize an otherwise stagnant chocolate consumption trend. This emphasis on health benefits will offset chocolate’s negative image as a high-calorie food and will launch it into the highly profitable and exploding functional food or nutraceutical market segment. (Vreeland:1999) The concept of functional foods was invented in Japan, where the government was the first to issue an approval system for functional foods labeling claims. The market is now well established.

The strategy has already shown promise. Despite Japan’s protracted recession, sales of high polyphenol chocolate (and red wine) are booming [Economist:1999] as the Japanese take strong interest in their health as an antidote for anxiety and economic uncertainty.

In short, when you consider its antioxidant properties lowering risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, its cannabinoid-like substances triggering euphoria, and its caffeine punch, the chocolate bar can be considered a health bar. And with a graying population of consumers, food products that purport potential anti-aging properties should have great appeal. In short, for today’s confectionery manufacturers struggling with increasing chocolate consumption, chocolate’s healthy attributes will be an RX for future sales.

References

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