Kansas State UniversityWith Valentine’s Day just a few days away, chocolates might be selling like hot cakes. Prior to purchasing chocolates for their special one, it may be vital to decide the kind of chocolates to purchase especially if one is looking from a health perspective. This information was provided by Brian Lindshield, Kansas State University assistant professor of human nutrition.

Lindshield is of the opinion that dark chocolate may be a healthy option for people but again a lot depends on the way the chocolate was processed.

“The whole idea behind chocolate being beneficial comes from the Kuna who live on a remote island off of Panama. The Kuna people have a unique diet, and one of the reasons scientists were interested in them is because they are one of the only populations that does not develop high blood pressure,” commented, Lindshield.

Usually, as Americans grow older, their blood pressure increases. This appears to lead to several developing the chronic high blood pressure condition called hypertension. Nevertheless, when scientists investigated the Kuna, they apparently discovered that their blood pressure did not augment as they matured in age. Researchers also examined Kuna who had shifted from the isolated island to Panama City and found that subsequent to their shifting, their blood pressure rose as they grew older, just like majority of the people worldwide.

Lindshield mentioned, “Clearly, there was something that they were doing on the island that was resulting in lower blood pressure. What researchers found was the Kuna’s cocoa consumption on the island was huge compared to when they moved off the island. We’re not talking chocolate, we’re talking cocoa powder, which is super bitter.”

That bitterness is thanks to compounds in cocoa known as flavinols which may have been credited to lowering blood pressure. The trouble with almost all the chocolates, nevertheless, is that nearly all flavinols may be damaged while processing.

Lindshield remarked that Mars Candy Company has apparently crafted a processing technique that appears to maintain the flavinols, thereby ensuing in a few of its products that seemed to be more heart-healthy.