Dark chocolate can improve your health.
People indulge in chocolate for many reasons, the sweet taste among them. But could chocolate be good for you? Recent studies indicate that chocolate is indeed good for you.
According to recent research, dark chocolate contributes to better health in several ways. It has been proven to increase antioxidants and anti-depressant chemicals in the body. Additionally, it’s been shown to prevent heart disease by encouraging healthy blood flow and regular blood pressure. Dark chocolate contains as much as 80% cocoa where milk chocolate contains less than 20%. Don’t feel guilty for indulging in a few pieces of chocolate every once in a while as chocolate, especially dark chocolate, has been proven to have health benefits.
Cocoa, an essential ingredient in chocolate, contains flavonoids. Found in cocoa as well as many fruits and vegetables, flavonoids are antioxidants known to slow the aging process while neutralizing free radicals. As we age, antioxidants in our bodies break down. Eating foods rich in antioxidants helps replace the ones which break down naturally within our bodies, which also helps us fight illness. However, drinking milk and eating chocolate at the same time doesn’t yield health benefits as milk can mute the body’s ability to absorb the antioxidants from chocolate.
Dr. David Katz, Director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University, said part of the reason why so many people love chocolate is because eating it stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers. The xanthine compounds in chocolate, a group of chemicals that includes caffeine, aid that reaction. “It’s absolutely magic food,” Katz said. “Because it’s so good, it almost feels a little naughty.”
A study in the September issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine showed that heart attack survivors can reduce their risk of a second heart attack by eating chocolate several times per week. However, experts caution that if chocolate is eaten in large amounts, its fat and calorie content could negate the positive effects of its antioxidants and other chemicals.
Studies show moderate consumption of dark chocolate can be good for one's health.
“If we’re going to make this a ‘food as medicine’ [issue], the public does need guidance,” Katz said. “Some is good for you, more is bad for you … there is a sweet spot in a certain range, like alcohol.”
Another study was done which divided 21 healthy adults into two groups. One group got a Dove Dark Chocolate bar, containing flavonoids, every day for two weeks. Flavonoids keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels thus reducing the risk of blood clots. They also slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.
Although the second group didn’t get Dove bars, they weren’t left out. They got dark chocolate bars but theirs had no flavonoids.
All subjects underwent high-tech evaluation of how well their blood vessels dilate and relax which is an indicator of healthy blood vessel function. Blood vessel stiffness indicates diseased vessels and possible atherosclerosis, or plaque build up in the arteries. Those who got the full-flavonoid chocolate did significantly better. Why? Blood tests showed that high levels of epicatechin from flavonoids, were coursing through their arteries.
“This is the longest clinical trial to date to show improvement in blood vessel function from consuming flavonoid-rich dark chocolate daily over an extended period of time,” Engler says in a news release. “It is likely that the elevated blood levels of epicatechin triggered the release of active substances that … increase blood flow in the artery. Better blood flow is good for your heart.”
http://www.suite101.com/content/health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate-a203193
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/chocolate-studies-headache/story?id=8530685&page=2
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040601/dark-chocolate-day-keeps-doctor-away