# Medical chocolate! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 3, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429 "2007-07-03T23:01:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/1 "2007-07-03T23:01:10Z")
Seriously. [Some research that’s being published tomorrow](http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.987/news_detail.asp) indicates a minor, but measurable, decrease in blood pressure in people that eat about a 1" square (6.3 grams) of 50% cacao chocolate daily. No change was found in the control group that ate white chocolate. It is worth noting that you can’t go overboard - in addition to the flavanols, chocolate packs a lot of calories and fat. I think I’ll skip right past the lightweight 50% stuff and keep my 65%. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/2 "2007-07-03T23:03:48Z")
Hmmm. So dark chocolate is better than white chocolate. How about milk chocolate? ::looks hopeful:: ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/3 "2007-07-03T23:56:01Z")
Nope. It has to be a dark chocolate. Milk chocolate is usually in the 10 to 35% range. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/4 "2007-07-04T12:30:54Z")
I know this has nothing to do with the op, but when I was taking my diabetes classes, they said that if we must eat chocolate, to eat only dark chocolate, and not any other kind…except the fake kind, which is ok, providing there is no sugar in it. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/5 "2007-07-04T12:59:16Z")
I guess that settles it. I’m doomed to die of a coronary. 😛 (I really dislike dark chocolate. It’s harsh and bitter.) ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/6 "2007-07-04T13:11:34Z")
Suck it up. 😃 I have noticed a serious increase in shelf space given over to “boutique” dark chocolates. Even Hersheys has a line of very dark chocolates of varying intensities of cacao chocolate. Dunno if the tail is wagging the dog here. I DO know that it’s hard to believe that even one square lowers your blood pressure since when I’ve gone down that dark and mysterious road, my b.p. has skyrocketed. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/7 "2007-07-04T18:06:33Z")
Hershey’s Extra Dark (65%) with Cranberries, Blueberries and Almonds. Nummy. 🙂 Three and a half 3.52 ounce bars sitting in my fridge right now. I buy 2-3 every time I go grocery shopping. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/8 "2007-07-04T18:28:04Z")
White chocolate isn’t even chocolate. \ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/9 "2007-07-04T18:36:33Z")
I’ve got to point this thread out to the wife. Unfortunately, I hate dark chocolate, so I’ll have to stick with the tried and true “pet cats” method of blood pressure reduction. (That’s “pet” as a verb. Just _having_ pet cats does nothing to\*\* reduce\*\* your blood pressure.) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/10 "2007-07-04T18:43:57Z")
So, the science is finally catching up with the medicinal chocolate I’ve been eating for years. 😃 Dark chocolate is the best for chocolate with any stuff in it (nuts or cremes or whatever). Milk chocolate just doesn’t give you that contrast of flavours. And dark orange chocolate - ooooh. ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/11 "2007-07-04T18:56:43Z")
As it turns out, this is exactly what i do. Every other day or so, I eat a small bite of dark chocolate after dinner as my dessert. It’s very satisfying, and strangely, i rarely feel the urge to eat more. A bar will last me a couple weeks or more. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/12 "2007-07-04T19:14:56Z")
One more reason to love my major professor: he was pretty “meh” about the whole prospectus, courses, proposal, dissertation thing… but darned if you weren’t\* required \* to like 72% chocolate or higher. I leveled out at 85%, myself. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-chocolate/410429/13 "2007-07-04T23:22:54Z")
I saw the thread title, clicked on it, and before it could load, said to myself…“oooh, chocolate, there’s some in my bag right behind me, must eat it NOW” and then turned back to read the thread. With 71% dark chocolate in my mouth. Trader Joe’s, Unique Origin Varietal Chocolate, Ocumare (the orange label) only 50 calories per 10g square (like I eat only one square) and 2g of sugar per serving, well within the 10g limit for a gastric bypass patient. So good, and now, good for me! No wonder I crave it when stressed…I’m just self-medicating!