Scientists have long known that cocoa contains antioxidants, but no one knew just how plentiful they were compared with those in red wine and green tea. Now Cornell researchers have found that that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea. Earlier this year I had an article on the appropriateness of consuming chocolate.
The reason that cocoa leads the other drinks is its high content of compounds called phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids, indicating the presence of known antioxidants that can prevent cancer, heart disease and other ailments. They discovered 611 milligrams of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE) in a single serving of cocoa. Examining a glass of red wine, the researchers found 340 milligrams of GAE and 163 milligrams of ECE. In a cup of green tea, they found 165 milligrams of GAE and 47 milligrams of ECE.
So it appears that chocolate can be quite healthy overall as it is loaded with the hottest newly appreciated antioxidants, polyphenolic bioflavanoids. If you are going to consume chocolate for its antioxidant benefits though, please review my previous warnings on this topic.
Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry December 2003;51(25):7292-5