Journalist: Ann Olander

CITY NEWS – Upland/Claremont

Good news for chocolate lovers.

Recent research indicates possible health benefits.

"We can have it occasionally and have no feelings of guilt," said

Lorraine Lubanski, registered dietician at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.

Lubanski of Claremont quickly added that she tries to encourage patients to stay within American Heart Association guidelines. Because

1 ounce of chocolate has 150 calories and 10 grams of fat, eating the treat should be compensated for in the diet.

A few patients and family members have asked her about the recently publicized health benefits of eating chocolate, Lubanski said. Studies are still ongoing.

But the potential benefits sound exciting to chocoholics.

Consumer Reports in its March issue reported that about half the fat in chocolate is believed to have a neutral effect on cholesterol.

Citing a recent study where male college graduates who ate a moderate amount of chocolate lived about a year longer than those who ate none, the article tentatively hypothesized that the phenols, or antioxidants, in chocolate might help prevent artery clogging.

In a March 29 article in The Los Angeles Times, Rosie Mestel reported more good news about chocolate from the American Chemical Society’s annual spring conference in Anaheim.

Joe A. Vinson, Professor of Chemistry, The University of Scranton, Scranton, Pa., one of the chief researchers who presented papers on antioxidants in chocolate at the ACE conference, has done research on antioxidants in many other foods and beverages, such as tea and coffee.

Discovering one piece of the puzzle may spur further research on the other pieces, Vinson said after the conference during a visit to the Inland Valley.

"I very seldom eat chocolate," he said, adding that he eats hard candy, which has fewer calories.

But he enjoyed visiting the popular A-Kline Choclatier in Claremont, where he sampled one of its top-selling chocolate truffles, and declared it "marvelous."

More women buy chocolates than men, said Kim Battersby, manager of the longtime popular store that features hand-dipped chocolates.

"Chocolate’s my favorite thing in the world," said Choclatier employee Courtney McGrady, adding that she eats it every day.

Neither woman thought more people were eating chocolate because of the new research.

"Any new findings I question, said Marsha Craighead, a frequent customer who owns the Bloomers Women’s Clothing shop next door. "I think it takes time to research anything."

Lubanski said people can substitute cocoa for hard chocolate in recipes, to reduce calories as well as fat.

As discussed on the San Francisco Exploratorium’s TV program on chocolate last fall, large-scale, controlled human studies are missing and more research is needed. But the initial research is encouraging.