Can we now have our chocolate... and eat it?
We often feel guilty when we munch into that delicious chocolate bar. The calories, the fat, our cholesterol levels!!
Recent research has suggested that we may not have to worry about the effects of chocolate on our cholesterol levels. The main fat in many types of chocolate is cocoa butter. The predominant fatty acid in cocoa butter is stearic acid. Stearic acid has been shown not to raise blood cholesterol levels. It is what we call cholesterol-neutral. This is good news if your favourite chocolate is of the "dark" variety. Unfortunately, milk chocolate contains milk and dairy fat which does in fact have a cholesterol-raising effect.
So I guess if you are worried about your cholesterol levels, it would be best to stick to the dark chocolate. Don't however take this as a free licence to binge on chocolate. Calories consumed in excess of what are used through activity can contribute to obesity. Chocolate can be included into your diet in moderate amounts.
| 
...Health
is the art of
Living...
