If it's sweet, kids will eat it.  Make that sweetness chocolate, and it's gone without even thinking about it.  For most kids that's true even if it's dark chocolate (except, strangely for our son, who loves milk chocolate and won't touch dark chocolate).

Dark chocolate often in the news for its heart healthy consequences, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke in adults.  Now someone has finally asked the question, "is dark chocolate healthy for children?"

Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne took on the task of finding out.  Their research involved feeding 1/4 ounce of  dark chocolate to 200 elementary school children daily for seven weeks.  Sounds like the kind of school I would have liked.  (And it's the type of "personal research" we encourage here at Chocolate University Online.)

The children, age 10-12 years old, were given dark chocolate with a high antioxidant content.   Blood pressure, weight, height, body fat and waist circumference were measured throughout the study. Researchers found there was no significant weight gain.

"Like any food, if you eat too much dark chocolate you would put on weight," said researcher and pediatrician Professor Melissa Wake.  She also pointed out that they found little difference in blood pressure before and after the children ate their chocolate.

"There is a staggering amount of chocolate being eaten by kids, but most of that is white or milk chocolate, which does not have the same health benefits of dark chocolate," Wake said. "If you are going to feed your child chocolate, give them dark."

Sounds to me like there is little to conclude from this study, other than the one that is healthier for adults is probably healthier for children.

So, if given a choice of which sweet to eat, at least dark chocolate has better nutrition than others.  Of course don't tell your kids that.  If they think it's healthy they certainly won't eat it!

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Bryn Kirk

Course Facilitator at Chocolate University Online

Bryn worked for nearly 10 years in a research and product development for Ambrosia Chocolate Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now she develops all of the CUO lessons and coaches the members of the Primal Chocolate Club.

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