Health Benefits of Chocolate
Rose May Pimentel in Health
May 20, 2021 • 3 min Read
Who doesn’t love chocolate? One of the world’s most popular treats and millions enjoy chocolate every day because of its unique and rich taste.
Studies denote that chocolates, especially dark ones, are beneficial to health.
Here are some of the amazing benefits of chocolate:
1. It helps your heart to stay healthy
Flavonoids in chocolate can help veins and arteries to stay supple. Over 7 studies followed 114,000 participants who were given few servings of dark chocolate a week. The results showed that their risk of getting a heart attack was reduced by about 37% while the chances of getting a stroke were 29% less when they had a higher consumption of chocolate.
2. It may help improve your memory as you get older
Research has shown that when elderly people were given specially prepared cocoa extracts high in flavanols, their cognitive function greatly improved. The only problem is that when it comes to eating chocolate, the percentage of cocoa flavanols is much reduced due to the processing and addition of eggs, sugar, and milk.
3. It may make you better at math
In a study, participants were given 500 mg of flavanols in a hot cocoa drink. As a result, they benefited from increased flow to the brain and were better at coping with difficult math equations.
4. It may put you in a better mood
In a study, researchers targeted the cocoa polyphenols and found that it had a beneficial effect on the mood of the participants who were calmer and happier.
5. It may help lower cholesterol levels
The Journal of Nutrition carries an interesting article about the results of a study done to determine whether dark chocolate could have any effect on LDL cholesterol levels. They found that when subjects were given bars of dark chocolate with plant sterols and flavanols, they were getting lower scores on their cholesterol levels.
6. It can help to lower your blood pressure
You may not know it but having the right amount of NO (Nitric Oxide) in your body can help your arteries to relax. That will, in turn, help to take some of the pressure off them and the result is a lower BP count. Another benefit of dark chocolate flavanols which help to produce this vital Nitric Oxide.
7. It helps you produce more endorphins
The great advantage of chocolate is that flavanols can also help in endorphin production. Endorphins play a key role in helping prevent depression and other mental disorders.
8. It may reduce pregnancy complications
One of the complications of pregnancy is known as preeclampsia in which blood pressure can shoot up. Researchers have established that one of the chemicals in dark chocolate, theobromine, can stimulate the heart and help the arteries dilate. When pregnant women were given higher doses of chocolate, they had a 40% less chance of developing this complication.
9. It may help reduce your chances of getting cancer
The cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These are important in keeping the actions of free radicals at bay.
Whether you’re stressed, happy, hungry, or just plain craving for it, you can always find a reason to eat chocolates. Now that you know that it’s good and healthy, you can have your guilty pleasure anytime you want—minus the guilt!
Take note, though, that these health benefits are not an excuse to eat chocolate all day long. As it is high in calories, moderation is still key.
Stay healthy and safe!
