5 Benefits of Eating Chocolate

Dark Chocolate

This good chocolate is good for your heart, blood circulation and brain. The countless researches have revealed that it may be beneficial in countering health conditions such as autism, obesity,diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and, yes ladies, it can slow aging. Here, are the comprehensive health benefits of eating chocolate.1

1.  Good for Heart

The dark chocolate is known to help in restoring the flexibility to the arteries and preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. The artery stiffening and white blood cell adhesion are common causes of artery clogging. This benefit has been backed by a studyconducted by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Another study has found that those who eat chocolate daily had an 11 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Though, the scientists have failed to establish a direct relationship between the two, but it is known that some compounds such as flavonols present in chocolate are known to havecholesterol and blood-pressure-lowering properties.

2. Reduces Risk of Stroke

A study conducted by Swedish researchers have revealed that men who consume the decent amount of chocolate have a 17% lower risk of stroke than those who consume the least. The research was carried over a period of ten years from 1998 to 2008 and included 37,103 men. Another interesting fact revealed in the research was that the men who ate chocolate tend to be on average younger side and less likely to be current smokers. Of course, it is bit off the topic, but I thought you would like to know.

3 Rich in Minerals

Chocolate, unlike other sweets and desserts is actually very nutritious. But, provided it should have a high content of cocoa. Along with high soluble fiber, it is also loaded with minerals. A 100 gram of dark chocolate with 70%-80% cocoa content has 11 grams of fiber. It also has decent content of iron, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus and zinc. The type of fatty acids contained in the chocolate are mostly saturated and monounsaturated, which are beneficial for your health. However, this is a huge amount (100 gram) of chocolate to be consumed daily and it has 600 calories and moderate amounts of sugar. It would be wise, if you eat dark chocolate in moderation.

4.Lower Cholesterol

The research conducted by researcher Mee Young Hong, PhD, associate professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University has revealed that dark chocolate can help reduce cholesterol. The research found that those who ate daily 50 gram of dark chocolate with more that 70% cocoa content for fifteen days saw their bad cholesterol lowered by about 20% and good cholesterol increased by 20%. 

5.Protects Your Skin

The flavanols in the chocolate can also help protect your skin against sun damage. According to astudy published in the Journal of Nutrition, the high flavanol content can make your skin more resistant against the damage caused by the UV rays. During the study, which was conducted over a period of 12 weeks, one group of women ingested 326 mg/d of high flavanol cocoa, rich in the antioxidants epicatechin and catechin, and another group consumed only 27 mg/d. By the end of the test period, it was found that the high flavanol group showed decrease in sensitivity to UV light, and increased blood flow to the outer and inner skin layers. Other positive effects included skin hydration as well as reduced roughness and scaling of the skin.
source: houseofhealthylife.com