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CNN Saturday Morning News

A Look at How Chocolate Can Keep You Feeling Fit

Aired February 14, 2004 - 08:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at how chocolate can keep you feeling fit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATALIE PAWELSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Studies suggest chocolate might help keep your heart happily pumping. In one study, detailed in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," researchers fed people a bar o chocolate each day for two weeks. Those who got dark chocolate saw their systolic blood pressure -- that's the top number -- drop by about five points. But no benefit for test subjects who ate white chocolate. Their blood pressure stayed the same.

Dark chocolate came out ahead in another study, too, this one in the journal "Nature." Researchers fed people chocolate then tested their blood. They found anti-oxidant levels rose 20 percent, but again, only for those who ate dark chocolate. Subjects who ate milk chocolate did not get an anti-oxidant boost. Neither did people who ate dark chocolate but washed it down with milk. Anti-oxidants might help protect the heart from damaging free radicals. But remember, chocolate still has quite a bit of fat and calories. As one of the researchers said, "Don't think by eating five or six bars a day you're doing yourself any good."

Natalie Pawelski, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired February 14, 2004 - 08:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at how chocolate can keep you feeling fit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATALIE PAWELSKI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Studies suggest chocolate might help keep your heart happily pumping. In one study, detailed in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," researchers fed people a bar o chocolate each day for two weeks. Those who got dark chocolate saw their systolic blood pressure -- that's the top number -- drop by about five points. But no benefit for test subjects who ate white chocolate. Their blood pressure stayed the same.

Dark chocolate came out ahead in another study, too, this one in the journal "Nature." Researchers fed people chocolate then tested their blood. They found anti-oxidant levels rose 20 percent, but again, only for those who ate dark chocolate. Subjects who ate milk chocolate did not get an anti-oxidant boost. Neither did people who ate dark chocolate but washed it down with milk. Anti-oxidants might help protect the heart from damaging free radicals. But remember, chocolate still has quite a bit of fat and calories. As one of the researchers said, "Don't think by eating five or six bars a day you're doing yourself any good."

Natalie Pawelski, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com