"Giving your sweetie chocolate https for Valentines Day may show you care for their health as well as their heart https A new study suggests that dark chocolate https and cocoa powder may be the next super foods thanks to their high antioxidant content. Researchers found the antioxidant activity of dark chocolate https and cocoa powder was equivalent to or higher than that found in some other socalled super fruit powders or juices including acai berry https blueberry cranberry and pomegranate. Antioxidants https are a group of compounds known to fight the damaging effects of oxidative stress on cells within the body and are increasingly thought to have many hearthealthy properties. Two groups of antioxidants in particular polyphenols and flavonols which are found in various fruits and seeds have been the focus of much research due to their potentially healthy effects. Foods and fruits high in these antioxidants have been dubbed as super foods or super fruits by the media. These substances help keep the arteries https healthy and are protective against cardiovascular disease https says preventive cardiologist Suzanne Steinbaum MD of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City in an email. When looking for a sweet snack a square of dark chocolate https might in fact be your healthiest choice Cocoa or cacao beans are not beans but the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are dried and then processed to produce cocoa powder. Dark chocolate generally has a higher percentage of cocoa content than milk chocolate. Comparing Cocoas Antioxidant Content In the study which was conducted by Hershey Company and published in Chemistry Central Journal researchers compared the total flavonol and polyphenol content as well as antioxidant activity content of cocoa powder and dark chocolate vs. super fruits including acai blueberry cranberry and pomegranate. The antioxidant activity of cocoa powder was higher than all other super fruit powders analyzed. They also found the total flavonol content of cocoa powder . milligrams per gram was higher than all other super fruit powders tested which averaged less than  milligrams per gram. Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate The researchers also looked at the antioxidant content per gram .ounce serving of dark chocolate containing  cacao and cocoa powder vs. super fruit juices. The fruit juices included acai blueberry cranberry and pomegranate and were  nonblended juices. The total antioxidant activity of dark chocolate per serving was significantly higher than the super fruit juices except for pomegranate juice. The typical serving size for the fruit juices was one cup. The total polyphenol content per serving was highest for dark chocolate at about  milligrams per serving. This was significantly higher than the fruit juices except pomegranate juice. Dark chocolate also had the highest total flavonol content per serving at more than  milligrams followed by cocoa beverage at about . All of the super fruit juices had less than  milligrams per serving of this type of antioxidant. Researchers say its important to note that the cocoa powders cocoa beverages and dark chocolate used in the study contained natural or nonalkalized cocoa. Alkalization is a process used to mellow the flavor of cocoa but it also destroys the polyphenolic compounds. Most hot cocoa mixes contain alkalized cocoa and thus contain few or no antioxidants. Its also worth noting that the number of calories and fat grams per serving of dark chocolate is much higher than that of fruit juices which means its a potential super food to be enjoyed in moderation."