sarah.clark@hqeducation.com
HQ Education Columnist
Chocolate companies Hershey and Mars are advertising that some of their chocolate contains healthful properties. Some scientists question those claims while nutritionists wonder if such messages will give Americans an excuse to overindulge.
A Yale University study underwritten by Hershey suggested that eating Hershey's Extra Dark chocolate can improve blood pressure and blood flow because of its naturally occurring levels of flavonol, a chemical often found in dark chocolate that has antioxidant qualities.
Advertising "Heart Healthy" Snacks
Mars, Inc. has gone a step further and marketed a product called CocoaVia, which contains flavonols and plant sterols. The company is advertising its line of CocoaVia products as "heart-healthy chocolate snacks." In addition, Mars says that there is a connection between cardiovascular health and the consumption of flavonols and plant sterols.The New York Times reported that some are questioning whether there is enough conclusive science to support advertising claims advanced by the chocolate industry that its products are healthful. Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest told the Times that "the marketing is getting ahead of the science," adding that two recent studies failed to find the evidence to support some of the claims chocolate companies are making about the cardiovascular benefits of eating certain types of chocolate.
The Affect on Business
Nevertheless, any information that may suggest that chocolate could have a positive affect on health has got to be good for the chocolate business. Chocolate is the number one favorite ingredient in the world, Jim Cass, a business executive at Mars told the Times. If that's the case, then people probably need very little persuading to indulge in a little more chocolate.That's a big concern for Alice Litchenstein, chairwoman of the nutrition committee of the American Heart Association. Litchenstein told the Times that "We can only hope that the consumer is smart enough to realize that you can't just add something on top of what you are normally eating - even if it is good for you - because you are going to gain weight."
In the meantime, the business of advertising and selling chocolate continues - be on the look out for CocoaVia products on your local grocer's shelves soon.
