Chocolate is renown for its great taste and is now getting a reputation for its amazing health benefits. Your high-caloric, sugary milk chocolate bars won’t do you much good, but dark chocolate is richer in cocoa, which is believed to hold the key to its health effects. The Cocoa (cacao) bean from which chocolate is made from is high in a plethora of antioxidants that can have a positive effect on your cardiovascular function.
Dark chocolate is lower in sugar and milk than your average milk chocolate bar you get in convenience stores and higher in cocoa. This gives it a bittersweet or semisweet taste that is unique and intense. Some enjoy the rich flavor over milk chocolate bars that taste like any other sugary snack. There are several studies on how including dark chocolate to your diet can improve your health and well-being.
Dark Chocolate Decreases Blood Pressure
Eating dark chocolate short-term has been found to help decrease blood pressure. A study published in “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” gave 15 healthy volunteers 100 grams of dark chocolate containing antioxidants or 90 grams of white chocolate believed to contain no polyphenol antioxidants.
The results showed that dark chocolate reduced blood pressure and improved insulin sensitivity. These benefits are attributed to cacao (or cocoa) flavanols activity, which is remains high in dark chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Helps Prevent Heart Disease
There have been several studies on dark chocolate’s properties in preventing cardiovascular disease. Other than reducing blood pressure, dark chocolates flavonoids have been found to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL), decrease LDL and an anti-inflammatory effect.
A systematic review, published in “Nutrition & Metabolism” suggest that eating 50 grams of dark chocolate daily helps reduce the risk of heart disease by about 10 percent. These results are based on short-term studies and the review also notes that there is a lack of thorough research on chocolates long-term effects.
It Can Help You Eat Less Junk Food
A small study published in “Nutrition & Diabetes” set out to compare the effects of milk chocolate and dark chocolate on appetite. Sixteen young and healthy males volunteered; those who ate dark chocolate felt more satisfied and less hungry than those who ate milk chocolate. The researchers concluded that dark chocolate lowers desire to eat something sweet and promotes fullness, which can be a factor in weight loss.
Therefore, by eating dark chocolate, you may be less likely to have cravings for sweet food (otherwise known as junk food). Snacks can amount to 400 calories daily and if a few nibs of dark chocolate can help you resist junk, which can translate to significant weight loss long term.
Dark Chocolate is Rich in Nutrients
Eating dark chocolate can help you reach your recommended daily amount for several vitamins and minerals. A 101 gram dark chocolate bar contains:
- 12 milligram of iron– 67 percent of DV (daily value)
- 230 milligrams of magnesium– 58 percent of DV
- 7.4 micrograms of vitamin K– 9 percent of DV
- 2 milligrams of manganese– 98 percent of DV
- 6.9 micrograms of selenium– 10 percent of DV
50 grams of dark chocolate or less should suffice when combined with a healthy diet. Dark chocolate is also rich in calcium, potassium, zinc and copper. It is also much more mineral dense than it is vitamin rich.
Eating Dark Chocolate Improves your Mood; Alleviates Depression and Anxiety
While the taste of chocolate can make you feel good, its polyphenols antioxidants can also have a positive affect on your mood. A double-blind study, published in the “Journal of Psychopharmacology” set out to discover how chocolate’s antioxidants affects mood and cognition.
About 72 healthy, middle-aged people volunteered to drink a dark chocolate beverage or take placebo. After a month, self-rated feelings of calmness and contentedness was significantly higher than those who took placebo. These results show that chocolates cacao properties has the potential to treat mild depression or anxiety.
Dark Chocolate is a Good Source of Antioxidants
Dark chocolates antioxidant capacity is believed to be responsible for several of its health benefits listed. It contains flavonoids, such as epicatechin and catechins are a part of the polyphenols antioxidant group. Generally, the more cocoa, the more antioxidants you get.
Therefore you may consider raw cacao powder, which you can add to smoothies or dark chocolate that is 70 percent cocoa or higher. You can get dark chocolate up to 85 percent in most stores. Flavonoids is also what gives dark chocolate its bitter and unique taste, which some enjoy.
Reduces the Risk of Stroke
“A 29 percent reduction in stroke was observed with the highest level of dark chocolate consumption.”
Along with other cardiometabolic disorders, eating dark chocolate seems to reduce the risk of stroke. A systematic review of clinical research, published in “BMJ” found that five of seven studies that met their criteria observed a reduced risk of stoke and other cardiometabolic disorders.
It seems as though the effects are dose dependent, as a 29 percent reduction in stroke was observed with the highest level of dark chocolate consumption. More thorough research is required to determine a specific amount of chocolate you will need to consume daily to enjoy these benefits.
Dark Chocolate Improves Cognitive Function in Healthy Young Men
There has been a lot of research on the effects on antioxidants on cognitive function. Flavanols found in chocolate seem to help improve cognitive function. In 2006 the “Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology” published research on chocolates antioxidant effect on the human brain. The brain imaging of the 16 healthy young men showed that 150 milligrams of cocoa flavanol antioxidants improved blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast imaging showed improvement in cognitive task.
Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, which will also help boost your concentration and energy levels, as coffee does.
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