(U-WIRE) STILLWATER, Okla. — Eating chocolate this past Valentine’s Day may have done more than tempt the taste buds if research by the Oklahoma State University department of nutritional sciences proves chocolate is as healthy as it is tasty.

A team led by professor Bahram Arjmandi and assistant professor Brenda Smith started research this fall on polyphenols in chocolate and their effect on bones. Smith said the department previously studied prunes and soy, also rich in polyphenols, but the chocolate research at Oklahoma State University is relatively new.

This research is especially applicable for college students. People reach peak bone mass in their 30s, so college is a crucial time for good bone development, said Barbara Stoecker, head of the nutritional-sciences department.

“You need to be more concerned than anybody,” Stoecker said. “You can build your peak bone mass so much better when you’re young.”

Smith said the team hopes to have preliminary chocolate research completed in another two or three months. The Mars Candy Company has expressed interest in the research.

“Think about it,” Smith said. “If they could find health benefits in chocolate.”

These exact health benefits are still unknown, but the department’s research will discover the polyphenols’ effects. Even if positive results are found, Smith said unfortunately, chocolate still contains calories.

“If it’s going to have an effect on your body weight if you consume more chocolate, then you should probably not,” Smith said. “You don’t want to increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.”

Another rule of thumb is to eat chocolate in moderate quantities.

“Talking to people I know, they get really excited about it, because they feel like it gives them a justification to eat chocolate, like chocolate’s going to be healthy for them,” said Amanda Jensen, nutritional sciences junior and research assistant on the chocolate project. “Small amounts of lots of different foods can have good effects.”

While the research will not grant permission for an all-chocolate diet, Stoecker said it would show how dramatically the polyphenols affect bones.

“Bone homeostasis, or bone maintenance, is really a combination of bone formation and bone resorption,” said Stoecker. “Some bioactive compounds enhance formation, and some reduce the resorption.”

The research team will determine exact conclusions, but college students can still begin thinking about overall bone health. Stoecker said a combination of calcium intake and weight-bearing exercise have positive implications.

“The average person needs 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day,” Stoecker said.

There are 250 milligrams of calcium in a glass of skim milk. Other good calcium sources include cheese and yogurt.

Stoecker said weight-bearing exercise for both the lower and upper body helps build stronger bones. A normal hormonal status and vitamin D, from milk or the sun, also are natural bone builders. Chocolate is not on the list just yet.

“We don’t really want to be saying ‘eat chocolate for strong bones,'” Stoecker said. “It’s really interesting that something in chocolate may be contributing to it.”

Smith said the OSU Foundation’s Women’s Giving Circle funds the chocolate research. If the research has positive outcomes, researchers will further explore the role of polyphenols in bone health.

Smith said it is possible a hybrid chocolate with even more polyphenols and the same good taste could be produced.

“If there are compounds in something like this that people enjoy, then it’s kind of fun if nothing else,” Smith said. “It’s kind of exciting.”