The Natural Connection

February is a difficult month for many women. Just as we are entering full swing into our post-holiday diet and exercise program, trying to rid ourselves of those extra lumps of cellulite that magically appeared over the Christmas weekend—along comes Valentines Day with all its sweet temptations. 

The local supermarkets don’t make it any easier. I opened up the newspaper the other day to see what vegetables were featured at my favorite grocery store, and found a full-page ad for Valentine’s chocolates right where the photos of the broccoli were supposed to be. Combine that with the stress of a news column deadline, and the battle is over before the first mini-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or chocolate -covered raisin can jump out of the bag and into our mouth. 

I think that the ad agency executives must be getting smarter, and are reading the recent nutritional news reports linking chocolate cravings to brain chemistry in women in an effort to boost sales. The University of Pennsylvania reports that 44.7% of American women crave chocolate, compared to only 17.4% of American males. For unknown reasons, certain chemicals in chocolate appear to function as mood elevators and calming agents in women more than men. 

In some women, chocolate craving seems to be cyclic, hormonally mediated, and nearly uncontrollable. In certain instances, it is possible to treat the chocolate cravings that accompany PMS with magnesium supplements of 300 mg twice a day, leading some doctors to feel that chocolate craving may be an indication of mild magnesium deficiency. Women who suffer from a form of seasonal depression related to low sunlight conditions, called Seasonal Affective Disorder, have reported that chocolate relieves their symptoms of melancholy, almost equal to prescription antidepressants. 

The down side of chocolate is that it can be relatively high in calories and fat. However, in an interesting study sponsored by Nestle last year reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was demonstrated that combining chocolate with calcium, such as in milk chocolate, decreased the amount of fat absorbed from the chocolate by 13%. Also, the unfortunate study participants who were forced to eat two chocolate bars a day for two weeks had the surprising benefit of finding their “bad” LDL-cholesterol levels fall by 15% and their “good” HDL-cholesterol levels rise! And although cocoa is known to have a good deal of fat, the main form of fatty acid most common in cocoa butter, stearic acid, has a neutral effect on cholesterol.

Besides it’s possible benefit as a heart healthy food, chocolate is known to have extremely high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols and flavonoids—four times as much by weight as green tea. The antioxidants present in tea are thought to account for its anti-cancer properties, and research is underway to determine if similar protective properties are present in chocolate as well. 

According to Aztec legend, the seeds of the cacao tree were a gift to man from the god Quetzalcoatl, who brought them from the Tree of Life. The Aztecs used ground cacao beans mixed with fermented corn mash to make a nutritious but intoxicating beverage called chocolatl, which they served to their priests and chieftains. Since the seeds came from Paradise, each sip was thought to bring knowledge and wisdom. In light of recent findings, maybe they were on to something? 

For more information about the health benefits of chocolate, write to The Natural Connection, c/o Pauline Bellecci, MD, PO Box 777, Waycross, GA 31501 or visit our on-line Patient Education Library at www.swampdocs.com 

©2000-2003 Pauline M. Bellecci, MD