Does chocolate make people osteoporotic?

 When it comes to chocolate, people are always full of interest
.
Is it good for weight loss, good for the heart, or good for the prevention of high blood pressure.
.
.
I will be very happy to hear all kinds of good news
.

The reason why people are so interested in chocolate is that the chocolate intake in European and American countries is really considerable
.

▪ Switzerland is a country that eats a lot, with an average of 9 kilograms per year, which is equivalent to a 43 g piece of chocolate bar (the one with the long distance between the two fingertips when you stretch your thumb and index finger) and eat 209 pieces per year
.

▪ U.
S.
consumption is 4.
3 kilograms per capita per year, which is about half that of Switzerland
.

▪ In China, although the average consumption is not too high, there are quite a few people who like to eat
.

However, I have published an article before, saying that recent studies have shown that the claim that chocolate is beneficial for weight loss and the heart may not be true, but may be the negligence of the research method
.
Many people who are overweight or obese or suffer from hyperlipidemia or coronary heart disease actively or passively reduce the amount of chocolate consumed.
This makes the survey results mistaken that people who eat less chocolate are prone to obesity, hyperlipidemia, and coronary heart disease
.
(To view the article, please click: Eating more dark chocolate is good for the heart? Experiments found that it is not that simple.
)
    At the same time, there are many articles on the Internet saying that chocolate may affect the absorption and utilization of calcium, leading to osteoporosis
.
But some people say that this statement is a rumor
.
Is it a rumor?  
    In 2019, a review of the latest research was published in the "Nutrition" magazine
.
In this article, the researcher combed the relevant nutrition epidemiological survey literature
.

    1 Results of investigation and experimental research
    A summary analysis found that chocolate has different effects on people of different ages:
▪ In adolescence, under the premise of sufficient calcium supply, the eating habit of eating chocolate may be beneficial to promote the growth of long bones
.

    For example, in a double-blind, controlled, randomized human study, 149 undeveloped girls between the ages of 6 and 9 were given calcium-fortified chocolate and cocoa drinks.
After 48 weeks, they found that their height increased, and the bones of the radius and femur were increased.
The quality has increased
.
One year after the experiment ended, it was still found that these girls had higher bone quality
.

▪ After menopause women eat a small amount of chocolate, which has no obvious effect on bone health
.
However, if you eat chocolate every day, it has the effect of reducing bone density
.

    A study conducted in obese women aged 30 to 42 found that adding chocolate with high polyphenol content to a weight loss diet increased the bone mineral density of the hips and forearms after weight loss, and the inflammatory factors in the blood decreased.
Up
.

    However, those who did not eat chocolate, as long as they lose weight, have the same bone-building effect
.
Therefore, this study can only show that chocolate with high cocoa content can be included in the weight loss diet, but it cannot show that it has a bone-building effect by itself
.
 
    An Australian study followed 1001 women aged 70-85 over a period of 5 years and found that compared with women who rarely eat chocolate, women who ate chocolate every day had obvious bone density and bone strength in their calf bones.
Relatively low
.
Using dual-energy X-ray absorption method to measure and found that the more chocolate is eaten, the lower the bone mineral density of the hip, femoral head, femoral trochanter, intertrochanter and the whole body
.
Therefore, the researchers suggested that for older women, chocolate and cocoa should still be eaten less.
A small cup or more per day may be detrimental to bone health
.

    The reason why elderly women love to eat chocolate exhibits this negative effect may be because they are particularly sensitive to various factors that affect bone health at this time
.
After 40 to 45 years of age, women lose approximately 0.
2% to 0.
5% of bone minerals every year
.
In the two or three years before menopause, bone loss is the fastest, reaching as much as 2% to 5%
.

    In addition, the researchers found that these women who eat chocolate every day are not low-quality people.
Their socio-economic status is relatively high.
Although they eat chocolate every day, they do not eat too much.
Compared with women who rarely eat chocolate, their The figure is rather slim
.
Lower body weight is often associated with bone density
.

    Unfortunately, this study did not distinguish what type of chocolate was eaten
.
2 Chocolate food ingredients are also very important.

    Chocolate contains sugar, a large amount of fat, a small amount of protein, potassium, calcium, magnesium, oxalic acid, polyphenols and other ingredients, as well as alkaloids such as theobromine and caffeine
.

    Among these ingredients, there are both bone-building substances and bone-damaging substances
.

▪ The flavonoids and potassium and magnesium in pure cocoa powder and dark chocolate are good for bone health
.

    Potassium and magnesium can increase the utilization of calcium in the body, while polyphenols such as flavonoids can reduce the level of oxidative stress and inflammation in bone tissue, thereby reducing bone damage
.
Flavonoids are the source of the bitter taste of chocolate
.
The higher the content, the more bitter the taste .

▪ However, other ingredients in chocolate products, such as cocoa butter, sugar, oxalic acid, theobromine, and caffeine, are more or less harmful to bone health
.

    Highly saturated fats (such as expensive cocoa butter) and oxalic acid will reduce the absorption and utilization of calcium
.
Sugar can increase inflammation
.
Theobromine and caffeine increase urinary calcium loss
.
 
    Because of different production methods and different ingredients, the ingredients in the chocolate will vary greatly
.

    Cocoa beans are one of the natural foods with the richest content of polyphenols, mainly catechins, epicatechins and their lipids
.
Among them, epicatechin accounts for 35% of the total phenolics content, and the content is about 4330~3460mg/100g
.
Since chocolate is a product made from cocoa beans, it also inherits the excellent properties of being rich in polyphenols
.

    According to the measurement results of the United States Department of Agriculture,
the order of catechin content is approximately as follows: cocoa beans> cocoa powder> roasted chocolate> alkalized cocoa powder> chocolate candies
.

    The greater the proportion of cocoa solids other than fat, the stronger the antioxidant activity
.
In cocoa powder, non-fat cocoa solids account for about 72%~87%, bitter dark chocolate accounts for about 20%~30%, semi-sweet chocolate accounts for 15%~19%, and milk chocolate only accounts for 5%~ 7%
.

    Magnesium is very important for the growth and stability of bone crystals
.
In addition, trace elements such as zinc, copper, and iron are also beneficial to bone health
.

The research found that
the content of magnesium and other trace elements in chocolate is in order: cocoa powder> bitter dark chocolate> milk chocolate> white
    chocolate.
The smooth taste and aroma of chocolate are provided by cocoa butter and cream
.
Cocoa butter is more expensive, and its content is higher, so the price of chocolate is higher
.
Chocolate with a high content of cocoa butter and cream has a relatively high fat content
.
Studies have shown that saturated fat reduces the rate of calcium absorption, increases the rate of urinary calcium excretion, increases osteoclasts, and inhibits the differentiation of bone cells
.
Unfortunately, the two most saturated fatty acids in cocoa butter are stearic acid and palmitic acid
.

According to data from the US Department of Agriculture,
the order of caffeine content is as follows: pure cocoa powder> dark chocolate with 70~85% cocoa mass> dark chocolate with 60~69% cocoa mass> milk chocolate> white chocolate
▪ in chocolate The order of theophylline content is: dark chocolate (750-500 mg/100 g)> pure cocoa powder (462.
1 mg/100 g)> milk chocolate (100.
4 mg/100 g).

    However, for people in Europe and America, chocolate Not the main source of caffeine
.
Because a large piece of chocolate only contains 4 mg of caffeine, and a cup of roasted coffee contains 85 mg of caffeine, a cup of teabag is 30 mg of caffeine, and a cup of cola contains 18 mg of caffeine
.
 
    In short, whether chocolate is good for bones depends on the variety and the proportion of ingredients
.
Generally speaking, the sweeter the taste (more sugar), the smoother the texture (higher cocoa butter), and the stronger the milk flavor (more cream), the less conducive to bone health
.
Dark chocolate with strong bitterness is more worth eating than milk chocolate, and white chocolate is the least worth eating
.
The benefits to heart health are roughly in this order
.

    However, the reason why people love to eat sweet chocolate is that the sweetness has a bit of bitterness, and the taste is silky and soft and charming? How many people will fall in love with bitter and astringent chocolate and pure cocoa powder? So, use other foods to promote health
.
Eating sweet chocolate is just for delicious.
.
.