Good and Bad about Chocolate

About author
Sreekanth K *, Taj Khan, Dr. Hindustan Abdul Ahad
M. Pharmacy, PG department of Pharmaceutics,
Balaji College of Pharmacy, Anantapur, AP, India
*E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction 
Chocolate is a product based on cocoa solid and or cocoa fat. The amount and types of cocoa solids and fat that the term implies is a matter of controversy. Manufacturers have an incentive to use the term for variations that are cheaper to produce, containing less cocoa and cocoa substitutes, although these variations might not taste as good. There has been disagreement in the EU about the definition of chocolate; this dispute covers several ingredients, including the types of fat used, quantity of cocoa, and so on. But, in 1999, the EU at least resolved the fat issue by allowing up to 5% of chocolate’s content to be one of 5 alternatives to cocoa butter: illipe oil, palm oil, sal, shea butter, kokum gurgi, or mango kernel oil. A recent workaround by the US confection industry has been to reduce the amount of cocoa butter in candy bars without using vegetable fats by adding poly glycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), which is an artificial castor oil-derived emulsifier that simulates the mouthfeel of fat. Up to 0.3% PGPR may be added to chocolate for this purpose.
Key words : cocoa solid, cocoa fat, kokum gurgi, mango kernel oil, polyglycerol- polyricinoleate (PGPR).
Bad about chocolate 
Chocolate may contribute to lower bone density.
Chocolate can trigger headaches in migraine sufferers.
Chocolate is a danger to pets (chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine, which animals are unable to digest).
Additionally, there are dozens of rumors and myths regarding the benefits as well as the risks of chocolate.  Here are a few things chocolate will not do:
Chocolate Won’t
Cause acne.
Make you nervous or irritable: cacao contains the stimulants caffeine and bromine, but not in significant amounts in chocolate bars and nibs.
Turn you into an addict: chocolate is not addictive.
Raise your cholesterol: chocolate contains stearic acid, a neutral fat which doesn’t raise bad cholesterol.
Good about chocolate 
1. Chocolate decreases stroke risk 
Chocolate contains flavonoids, whose antioxidant properties help fight strokes.
2. Chocolate reduces the likelihood of a heart attack 
 Eating chocolate prevents blood clots, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attacks. Blood platelets clump together more slowly in chocolate eaters, the studies say.
3. Chocolate protects against blood inflammation :
Eat one Hershey’s dark chocolate bar per week, and your risk of heart disease will decrease. About 6.7 grams of dark chocolate per day keeps the blood inflammation-inducing proteins away.
4. Chocolate may prevent cancer 
Cocoa contains a compound called pentameric procyanidin, or pentamer, which disrupts cancer cells’ ability to spread.
5. Chocolate reduces the risk of diabetes 
Eating chocolate increases insulin sensitivity,  which reduces the risk of diabetes. 
 6. Chocolate can control coughs 
The most delicious way to kick your cough, apparently, is chocolate. One of the sweet’s chemical components, theobromine, seems to reduce the activity of the vagus nerve, the part of the brain that triggers coughing fits. 
7. Chocolate improves blood flow :
A fortnight of chocolate face-stuffing, they found, speed up blood flow through their subject’s middle cerebral arteries. In other words, more chocolate means more blood to your brain.
8. Chocolate strengthens your brain 
dark chocolate shields cells in your brain, and accordingly protects it from damage caused by stroke. Epicatechin, a compound found in chocolate, significantly reduced the brain damage in mice who suffered strokes, they found.
Conclusion
The conclusion is the purer and darker chocolates may provide the most health benefits These endorphins are the body’s “feel good“ chemical.