Chocolate: The Darker the Better

I've now come across a few studies showing that dark chocolate, as compared to traditional milk chocolate, is quite good for you.  One of the better studies is this one, which shows that eating a daily piece of dark chocolate can lower blood pressure in subjects with hypertension. 

The key healthy ingredient in dark chocolate appears to be cocoa flavonoids.  This particular study compared dark chocolate to white chocolate, because white chocolate actually has no cocoa (or cocoa flavonoids) in it.  Milk chocolate does have cocoa flavonoids in it, but not nearly as much as dark chocolate.

Does dark chocolate fit in the Paleolithic framework?  Yes, because chocolate is actually a fruit, made from the seeds of cacao trees.

I have begun incorporating some dark chocolate in my diet.  From what I've read, it's important to select dark chocolate that has at least 70% cocoa content.  This is the type of dark chocolate that has been used in the research studies, and it appears to provide the most  health benefits.  Some manufacturers produce dark chocolate with much less cocoa content, hence reducing the health benefits of the product.  The amount of cocoa content for any dark chocolate product is usually listed on the packaging.