摘要：都说黑巧克力能降血压、护心脏，是健康的甜蜜犒赏？《经济学人》最新文章揭开了这个流行说法的真相。研究表明，其核心成分“黄烷醇”的健康效益在权威试验中并未得到证实，而为了摄入足量黄烷醇所吃下的黑巧克力，反而会让你摄入超标的糖和饱和脂肪。那么，获取黄烷醇的真正健康之
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都说黑巧克力能降血压、护心脏，是健康的甜蜜犒赏？《经济学人》最新文章揭开了这个流行说法的真相。研究表明，其核心成分“黄烷醇”的健康效益在权威试验中并未得到证实，而为了摄入足量黄烷醇所吃下的黑巧克力，反而会让你摄入超标的糖和饱和脂肪。那么，获取黄烷醇的真正健康之道是什么？答案或许就在你的果盘和茶杯里。别再被营销话术迷惑，本文将带你看清黑巧克力背后的健康迷思。
The Economist ｜Well informed
经济学人｜深度洞察
Is dark chocolate actually healthy?
黑巧克力真的健康吗？
We assess whether that tempting idea is too good to be true
我们评估这个诱人的想法是否好得令人难以置信
即便是年幼的孩子们也知道巧克力是一种款待，应在特殊场合享用。但可可含量更高的"黑"巧克力品种，却被吹捧为更健康，甚至能促进健康。据称，黑巧克力可以缓解从高血压到抑郁等各种问题，同时还能提高思维敏捷度。许多研究——通常由大型巧克力公司资助——暗示这可能是真的。遗憾的是，最可靠的研究推翻了这一观点。
黑巧克力所谓的有益作用被归因于一种叫做黄烷醇的化合物，这种物质在可可中尤其丰富。在随机对照试验（研究的黄金标准）中，研究人员观察了含有黄烷醇的胶囊，以及食用富含黄烷醇的食物（如可可制品、咖啡、茶、浆果、葡萄和苹果）对健康的影响。一些试验发现了有益效果，例如对血压的影响。但总体结果并不一致。此外，这些试验通常只持续几周，因此可能无法反映长期摄入的后果。
观察性研究是询问而非规定饮食，这类研究有时发现，那些摄入更多黄烷醇（无论是从各种食物中还是特指从黑巧克力中摄入）的人更健康。（例如，他们患糖尿病的可能性更低。）但这类人可能还有其他有利条件——例如，更高的收入使他们能够购买像黑巧克力这样价格不菲的东西。2024年发表的研究发现，吃大量黑巧克力的人比吃得少的人吸烟的可能性更低。
一项名为COSMOS的大型随机试验于2015年在美国启动，旨在解决这些缺陷。该试验测量了每日服用含有500毫克可可黄烷醇的可可提取物补充剂的效果。（要获得这个剂量，你需要食用50克——即半块——到280克的黑巧克力，具体取决于其黄烷醇浓度。）年龄在60岁或以上的参与者服用这些胶囊的中位时长为3.6年。黄烷醇对新发糖尿病、严重循环系统问题（如心脏病发作和中风）、癌症或认知能力的发病率没有影响。然而，它们确实使得心血管疾病导致的死亡减少了27%。
唉，这一积极结果并不能证明黑巧克力对心脏健康有益。从黑巧克力中获取那500毫克黄烷醇意味着要摄入大量的糖——制造商为抵消可可的苦味会大量添加糖分。这也意味着要摄入超过每日建议最大摄入量一半（男性）或70%（女性）的饱和脂肪，这些脂肪对心脏有害，因为它们会增加堵塞动脉的胆固醇。在饮食中添加可可黄烷醇的更好选择可能是可可粉或磨碎的可可豆（通常称为可可碎粒）。总而言之，最健康的增加黄烷醇策略是食用更多的水果、蔬菜、坚果和豆类——并且烧上开水泡茶。
两个苹果、一份坚果和一大份草莓大约能提供500毫克黄烷醇。两到三杯绿茶也是如此。如果你决定时不时地犒劳自己吃点巧克力，不必费心去找最黑的品种。一些非常黑的巧克力含有的黄烷醇很少，而一些牛奶巧克力品种却含量丰富。可悲的是，对于巧克力爱好者来说，关于黑巧克力的健康声称源于一厢情愿和狡猾的营销，而非科学的发现。■
EVEN YOUNG children know that chocolate is a treat, to be savoured on special occasions. But the “dark” variety, which has more cocoa, is touted as healthier and even as a health-booster. Dark chocolate, it is suggested, can alleviate all manner of problems, from high blood pressure to depression, while improving mental acuity. Many studies, often paid for by Big Chocolate, hint this may be true. Sadly, the best research debunks the idea.
Dark chocolate’s purported benefits are ascribed to compounds called Flavanols, which are particularly abundant in cocoa. In randomised controlled trials (the gold-standard type of study) researchers have looked at the health effects of capsules containing flavanols, as well as of consuming flavanol-rich foods such as cocoa products, coffee, tea, berries, grapes and apples. Some trials have found beneficial effects, for example on blood pressure. But results overall have been inconsistent. Moreover, these trials typically last just a few weeks, so they may not reflect the consequences of sustained consumption.
Observational studies, which ask about diet rather than dictating it, have sometimes found that those who eat more flavanols, either from various foods or specifically from dark chocolate, are healthier. (They are less likely to develop diabetes, for example.) But such individuals may have other things going for them, too—for example, higher incomes that let them buy pricey stuff like dark chocolate. Work published in 2024 found people who ate lots of dark chocolate were less likely to smoke than those who ate little.
A big randomised trial called COSMOS, set up in 2015 in America, was intended to deal with these shortcomings. It measured the effects of daily cocoa-extract supplements containing 500mg of cocoa flavanols. (To get that dose you would need to eat between 50g—or half a bar—and 280g of dark chocolate, depending on its flavanol concentration.) Participants, who were in their 60s or older, took the capsules for a median of 3.6 years. Flavanols made no difference to rates of new cases of diabetes, serious circulatory problems such as heart attacks and strokes, cancer or cognition. They did, however, lead to a 27% reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Alas, this positive result is not proof that dark chocolate is heart-healthy. Getting those 500mg of flavanols from it means consuming lots of sugar, which is added lavishly by manufacturers to counter the bitterness of cocoa. It also means consuming upward of half (for men) or 70% (for women) of the recommended daily maximum of saturated fats, which are bad for the heart because they increase artery-clogging cholesterol. A better option for adding cocoa flavanols to your diet may be cocoa powder or ground cacao beans (often called nibs). All told, though, the healthiest flavanol-boosting strategy is to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes—and to put the kettle on.
Two apples, a portion of nuts and a large serving of strawberries provide roughly 500mg of flavanols. So do two to three cups of green tea. If you decide to treat yourself to some chocolate every now and then, don’t sweat about finding the darkest variety. Some very dark chocolates contain few flavanols, whereas some milk varieties have lots. Sadly for chocoholics, the health claims for dark chocolate come from wishful thinking and sly marketing, not the findings of science. ■
来源：左右图史
