Several people inquired about Mars Company and the levels of antioxidants in their dark chocolate.  During a call last night, Chef Mark talked a bit about the propriety process for increasing the chocolate flavanols in Dove Chocolates, without relying on just the cacao content.

From Elizabeth posting on chocolatelovers.tribe.net:

You’ve read it before: Dark chocolate, the richer in cocoa the better, is not only a to-die-for treat, it’s actually good for you. And just 1 oz of a very special chocolate packs more than twice the healthy antioxidant punch of red wine or other dark chocolates.

Dove Dark, made by Mars, Inc., contains Cocoapro cocoa, a proprietary, specially processed cocoa that contains superhigh levels of flavanols–so high that Dove Dark is used in medical research.

“Cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavonoids called flavanols, which include procyanidins, epicatechins, and catechins,” explains Harold Schmitz, PhD, director of science at Mars, Inc. Studies have shown that people with high blood levels of flavonoids have lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes.

Several studies in animals and humans have shown the heart-healthy effects of chocolate’s antioxidants. One of these studies, led by Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University, found that people who ate a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of bad LDL cholesterol, higher blood antioxidant levels, and 4 percent higher levels of good HDL cholesterol.

Here are the good things research shows that Cocoapro cocoa can do.

Act as an antioxidant.
Researchers at the University of California, Davis compared the effects of 11/3 oz of high-flavanol Dove Dark chocolate with the same amount of low-flavanol dark chocolate on 10 healthy people.

They found that only the Dove Dark had heart-healthy benefits: It reduced LDL oxidation and boosted antioxidant levels and HDL concentrations in the blood. Other studies have shown that the higher the Cocoapro “dose,” the higher the levels of antioxidants in the blood and the less LDL oxidation.

Keep blood platelets from clumping together.
In the test tube, Cocoapro cocoa reduces blood clotting; it may also stabilize arterial plaque, making it less likely to travel and cause a stroke or heart attack. This effect is similar to that of aspirin.

Increase blood vessel flexibility.
Unlike aspirin, some of the procyanidins in Cocoapro trigger the production of nitric oxide, which helps keep arteries flexible and increases bloodflow. “This connection has potential implications for blood pressure control,” says Dr. Schmitz.