Health+claims+-+Group+B

Caroline-Chocolate Outline Ms. Mcgann Science 6-2 April 14, 2010

**Health Benefits and Diseases**

 I. Health Benefits A. Heart Health -flavonoids in the cacao help against clots in artery walls. -nitric oxide is found in chocolate and needed for healthy blood pressure and flow. B. Insulin Sensitivity -Insulin sensitivity is related to the endocrine system. When you eat a food, the sugar from the food goes into the bloodstream to get transferred into the cells, because the cells need sugar. An organ called a pancreas sends insulin to the cells so that they can get the sugar that is in the bloodstream. The insulin clings to the cell wall by holding on to unsaturated fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, etc). It pulls the sugar into the cell so that the cell can get the sugar. -An insulin resistant cell can't recognize the insulin, so it doesn't end up getting any sugar. This is not good for the cell. -Insulin sensitivity is the opposite of insulin resistance. The cell can recognize insulin and can get sugar. Chocolate will boost your insulin sensitivity which is a good thing! C. Chocolate Survey -A survey was taken of some healthy 65-year old men. Apparently, those who ate chocolate a few times a month were healthier than those who ate it several times a week. It seems moderation is needed in chocolate consumption. But both chocolate-eating groups were better off than the groups who ate no chocolate! II. Negative Aspects A. Processing -In normal commercial candy bars, and in all milk and white chocolate, there are not very many health benefits. The commercial companies put in wax, sugar, fat, and unhealthy chemicals. The more you process chocolate, the less healthy it is. B. Other Negative Aspects -Eating too much chocolate can result in obesity and diabetes. C. Addiction -Chocolate is actually known to trigger parts of your brain associated with addiction. We don't know if this is because you can get addicted to chocolate or not.

III. Myths A. There is no link that scientists have found between chocolate and larger amounts of acne. B. Chocolate is not directly linked to obesity. Americans are...slightly larger than the Swiss, who eat twice as much chocolate on average as we do per year. C. Tooth decay is not related to chocolate more than other sugary foods. A compound in chocolate has been found to fight tooth decay!


 * Bibliography **

Bowden, Jonny. // The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth //. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds Press, 2007. Print. Tyler, et al. // www.sfu.ca //. N.p., 2003. Web. 9 Apr. 2010. .