Is chocolate really good for you?

ZANESVILLE – It’s great news for chocolate lovers everywhere: Chocolate contains compounds that are beneficial to health. In fact, cocoa has been used since ancient times in some cultures for its healthful benefits.

This is well known to Zanesville native and principal scientist with the Hershey Co., Dr. W. Jeffrey Hurst. In fact, he has published and co-written multiple books on the topic.

“Chocolate and Health” was released earlier this year, and co-edited by Dr. Philip Wilson, chairman of the history department of Eastern Tennessee State University who Hurst met at the Hershey Co. The book combines chapters written by medical professionals and portions by both editors to bring readers a thorough account about the positive benefits of cocoa.

“Chocolate is always interesting. You end up immersed in it when you work with it,” Hurst said. “I also enjoy writing.”

Hurst and Wilson’s previous book, “Chocolate as Medicine,” was released in 2012, and received the Gourmand Award as the second best book in the world on cocoa, Hurst said. Both books were published by The Royal Society of Chemistry of Cambridge, U.K.

Hurst has combined his scientific background and love for chocolate to communicate the findings about chocolate’s health benefits in his latest book.

“I think that chocolate and cocoa have a lot of propitious health effects,” he said.

Hurst, who lives in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania, is a 1965 graduate of Zanesville High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Ohio University in 1969, a master’s degree in chemistry from Youngstown State University in 1975 and Ph.D. in biochemistry with an application of HPLC to food analysis from Columbia Pacific University in 1984. He also retired as a major in the U.S. Air Force in 1991, and worked at the Hershey Co. simultaneously during his service. His work there began in 1976 as an associate scientist, and Hurst has been working with all aspects of chocolate ever since.

He has also written numerous scientific papers on a variety of topics, and his recent book is his eighth to be published.

“Chocolate and Health” features 11 chapters Hurst said are written by experts in the field from all over the world. Topics including chocolate and women’s health, chocolate and cardiovascular health, chocolate and dental health and chocolate and skin health address how cocoa can be beneficial in those areas.

“I think it’s interesting to see the diverse applications of chocolate for health purposes,” Hurst said.

Cocoa has been used since ancient times, particularly in Central and South America, as all kinds of remedies, Hurst said. Various compounds found in cocoa have properties that are anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, and even antiseptic. And while Hurst said that he and his co-editor are not physicians and make no recommendations, the book points to scientific and interesting facts on the subject.

“We think the book provides a good overview for people interested in chocolate and health, and the uses of cocoa for healthy endeavors.”

“Chocolate and Health” is available on Amazon and from other booksellers.