Italian ChocolateThe celebrated Italian libertine Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) took chocolate before bedding his conquests. This was on account of chocolate's reputation as a subtle aphrodisiac. More recently, a study of 8000 male Harvard graduates showed that chocaholics lived longer than abstainers. This may be explained by the high polyphenol levels in chocolate. Polyphenols reduce the oxidation of low density lipoproteins and thereby protect against heart disease. Such theories are still speculative. |