The "White Lie"

White Chocolates




While raw cocoa and cocoa powder and certain kinds of dark chocolate can legitimately claim to be "healthy foods", this is definitely NOT true for the manufactured candy which is called "white chocolate". A recent study showed ZERO health benefits from consuming white chocolate - while consuming dark chocolate showed some important measurable health benefits related to lowering blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, and increasing insulin sensitivity.




A study reported in the Journal of Hypertension in August, 2005 found that test subjects with high blood pressure who were given 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily for 15 days received these measurable health benefits:


(1) a drop in LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol);


(2) a drop in blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, which compared to the results of healthy changes in diet usually recommended for patients with hypertension;


(3) an increased sensitivity to insulin (which indicates a protective effect against diabetes).




In the same study, test subjects with hypertension who were given 3.5 ounces of white chocolate for 15 days received NONE of the above health benefits.


[Journal of Hypertension, 2005, August; 23(8):1453-1459.]




As much as we would all love to think of our favorite chocolate candy or chocolate syrup or hot cocoa drink as a "healthy chocolate" to justify the pleasure of our self-indulgence in this delightful delicacy and reduce our "guilty" feelings, we must face the truth that only raw cocoa and certain kinds of dark chocolate provide the many health benefits which modern research studies have attributed to the theobroma cacao bean.