CMA - Chocolate Manufacturers Association
  • Search Site
  • Industry Positions
  • Responsible Cocoa Farming
  • Chocolate in the News
  • Press Release
  • Contact Members
  • About Us
  • The Story of Chocolate
  • Science & Nutrition
  • News & Initiatives
  • Resources

Press Release

CMA Shares Health Information on Chocolate

The Chocolate Manufacturers Association, a trade organization representing the major U.S. companies involved in the manufacture of cocoa and chocolate, provides this sound science-based information on chocolate.

1. Chocolate is a delicious food that can certainly fit any healthful diet and lifestyle when eaten in moderation.

  • Most reasonable people realize that chocolate is a food that can be enjoyed in moderation and they can make intelligent choices on how to fit these foods into their lifestyles.
  • Studies show that a diet which incorporates our favorite foods and flavors (and chocolate is America's favorite flavor) is a diet that is more enjoyable and therefore more likely to be successful.

2. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association and the American Cocoa Research Institute have an understandable interest in studying the products we produce.

  • Research into the potential health benefits, associated with the antioxidants in chocolate, has been underway for nearly a decade.
  • The American Cocoa Research Institute has funded studies in the past four years that have supported and expanded on the earlier research and the results have been positive - chocolate can be abundantly rich in potentially healthful antioxidants. The research includes:
    • Phenol Antioxidant Quantity and Quality in Foods: cocoa, dark chocolate and milk chocolate. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. December 1999, Volume 47, Number 12. Joe Vinson, University of Scranton.
    • Effects of Cocoa Powder and Dark Chocolate on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. Presented to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) April 1999. Y. Wan, T.D. Etherton, J. Vinson, P.M. Kris-Etherton, Penn State University.
    • Effects of Cocoa Powder and Dark Chocolate on LDL Oxidation Susceptibility and Prostaglandin Levels in Humans. Submitted to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Y. Wan, J. Vinson, T.D. Etherton, J. Proch, S. Lazarus, P.M. Kris-Etherton, the Pennsylvania State University.

3. The following credible publications have published on the potential health benefits associated with the antioxidants in chocolate:

  • The February issue of the Mayo Clinic's newsletter also notes the high level of antioxidants in chocolate as well as the fact that cocoa butter, the natural fat in chocolate, has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels.
  • Science News. Prescription Strength Chocolate. March 2000, Volume 157, No. 12. Janet Raloff.

4. A review of nearly 40 years of research has shown that cocoa butter, the fat that occurs naturally in chocolate, does not raise blood cholesterol levels as would be expected based on its saturated fat content. This effect on blood cholesterol may be due to the stearic acid content, which makes up 35 percent of the fat in cocoa butter. Stearic acid has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol. Another theory suggests that cocoa butter is simply not well-absorbed by our bodies. The following credible publications have published on the effect chocolate, cocoa butter and stearic acid have on blood cholesterol levels:

  • Effects of Triglyceride Structure on Lipid Metabolism, Nutrition Reviews, 1988;46;177 181; A. Kritchevsky.
  • Effect of Dietary Stearic Acid on Plasma Cholesterol and Lipoprotein Levels, New England Journal of Medicine, 1988;318:1244-1248, A. Bonanome, S.M. Grundy.
  • The Role of Fatty Acid Saturation on Plasma Lipids, Lipoproteins and Apoliproteins, II. The Plasma Total and LDL-Cholesterol Response of Individual Fatty Acids. Metabolism, 1993;42:130-134; J.A. Derr, P.M. Kris-Etherton, T.A. Pearson, F.H. Seligson.
  • A Milk Chocolate Bar /Day Substituted for a High Carbohydrate Snack increases High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Young Men on an NCEP/AHA Step 1 Diet, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Supplement, Dec. 1994; P.M. Kris-Etherton, J.A. Derr, V.A. Mustad, F. H. Seligson, T.A. Pearson.

(Chocolate Manufacturers Association survey of 1038 adults, August, 2003)

5. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association agrees with health professionals, including the American Dietetic Association, on the components of a healthy lifestyle. It should include a diet consisting of a balance of a variety of foods, eaten in moderation, and incorporating regular physical activity. We always try to emphasize that it is important for consumers to first plan to eat a balanced diet, and enjoy chocolate in moderation as part of a healthy diet.

6. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association has a website (www.chocolateusa.org) that we are proud of for providing fun, educational information on chocolate. Tufts University Newsletter named our web site as being among the top web sites offering accurate nutrition information. CMA considers that quite a compliment.

CMA believes that chocolate, eaten in moderation, is both enjoyable and can fit any healthy lifestyle. Research with consumers has shown that they want information on how to enjoy food choices in moderation and in the context of an active lifestyle. It is one of CMA's goal to help educate consumers on how to include delicious foods like chocolate into healthy, active lifestyles.