So much for sitting down to watch It’s A Wonderful Life with a mega bar of Bourneville. Medical journal The Lancet has ruined Christmas by stating that dark chocolate isn’t as good for you as all those “85% pure organic cocoa”-hyped bars would have you believe.
“Dark chocolate rich in flavanols can have cardiovascular benefits compared with coca-free control chocolate, but can be unbalanced by fat levels, sugar, and calories,” says The Lancet. “But dark chocolate can be deceptive. When chocolate manufacturers make confectionery, the natural cocoa solids can be darkened and the flavanols, which are bitter, removed, so even a dark-looking chocolate can have no flavanol. Consumers are also kept in the dark about the flavanol content of chocolate because manufacturers rarely label their products with this information.”
Bah humbug, gimme that box of Quality Street … and the big purple ones are mine!
Merry Christmas one and all!
