A (162 g) bar of chocolate usually contains over 50g of fat and 13mg of cholesterol, so as far as healthy eating goes chocolate should be a definite no-no, but this may not be the case.
In February 2015, the British company,Lycotec, presented the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with a dossier that extolled the virtues of their cholesterol-lowering chocolate and, not for the first time, the EFSA was not convinced of the chocolate's potential.
In a subsequent interview with Confectionary News, Lyoctec's CEO Ivan Petyaev stated his intention to resubmit the dossier and continue to push for the chocolate to be approved. But recent studies suggest Lycotec's product may not be as ground-breaking as it first appeared. Scientists in Germany are saying normal (dark) chocolate bars may also have cholesterol lowering abilities.
The study was conducted at the Institute of Diet and Health in Mainz, Germany. The scientists were initially exploring the possible benefits of dark chocolate, as a weight loss aid, when the cholesterol lowering benefits of the chocolate came to light.
The study was conducted over a period of weeks and the ages of the volunteers ranged from 19-67 years old.
The volunteers were split into three groups. Two groups were told to follow a low-carb diet, but one group was instructed to also eat 42g of dark chocolate (81% cocoa content) each day. The members of the third group were told to eat whatever they wished, without any restrictions.
At the end of the study the data revealed the members of the group that had eaten the chocolate had lost more weight than the members of the other two groups. The data also showed a not insignificant drop in cholesterol.
In February 2015, the British company,Lycotec, presented the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with a dossier that extolled the virtues of their cholesterol-lowering chocolate and, not for the first time, the EFSA was not convinced of the chocolate's potential.
In a subsequent interview with Confectionary News, Lyoctec's CEO Ivan Petyaev stated his intention to resubmit the dossier and continue to push for the chocolate to be approved. But recent studies suggest Lycotec's product may not be as ground-breaking as it first appeared. Scientists in Germany are saying normal (dark) chocolate bars may also have cholesterol lowering abilities.
The study was conducted at the Institute of Diet and Health in Mainz, Germany. The scientists were initially exploring the possible benefits of dark chocolate, as a weight loss aid, when the cholesterol lowering benefits of the chocolate came to light.
The study was conducted over a period of weeks and the ages of the volunteers ranged from 19-67 years old.
The volunteers were split into three groups. Two groups were told to follow a low-carb diet, but one group was instructed to also eat 42g of dark chocolate (81% cocoa content) each day. The members of the third group were told to eat whatever they wished, without any restrictions.
At the end of the study the data revealed the members of the group that had eaten the chocolate had lost more weight than the members of the other two groups. The data also showed a not insignificant drop in cholesterol.
Does this mean we should all go out and start stuffing ourselves with chocolate? Probably not, but the results certainly provide some food for thought.
[Further Information at the International Archives of Medicine]
[Further Information at the International Archives of Medicine]