The Health Benefits of Chocolate

No matter how determined we are to stick to a strict diet, it is hard to resist the siren call of chocolate. Chocolate is practically a national pastime, with nearly half of all Americans indulging at least twice a week. The good news is that this once taboo food has been pardoned by health food Nazi’s in recent years, as evidence of its health benefits have emerged. Thanks to choco-friendly doctors and scientists, we now know that dark chocolate is a very good source of antioxidants. Antioxidants occur naturally in foods and  help to protect our arteries against cholesterol buildup. We have also discovered that chocolate may reduce the risk of blood clots by making blood platelets less gunky - and may even help our blood vessels relax, which lowers blood pressure.

In 2010, two large scale studies reported on the effects of chocolate on blood pressure, heart attack risk, and congestive heart failure. Dr. Brian Buijsse, of the German Institute of Human Nutrition, evaluated the health and diets of nearly 20,000 people between the ages of 35 and 65, and studied them for about ten years. The studies findings were reported in The European Heart Journal.  The outcome? Chocolate lovers had about 25 percent fewer heart attacks and neatly 50 percent less strokes than those who hardly ever touched the stuff.  This is not to say that we should all run out and eat a chocolate bar every day: The amount of chocolate eaten each day by the high consumers was on the average only about a quarter of an ounce. Eating more than that can add extra calories and saturated fat, both of which we know to be detrimental to heart health. This study, along with other studies have scientifically proven that dark chocolate offers the greatest amount of heart healthy nutrients.

Another study, performed by Harvard researcher Elizabeth Mostofsky, evaluated over 30,000 Swedish women for nine years. In those women whose diet included somewhere between one ounce of chocolate per month to three ounces of chocolate each week, there was a substantial reduction in heart failure risk. More than that actually increased the risk! This is probably because of excess calories and fats. Since milk chocolate is the most popular variety of chocolate in Sweden, the researchers speculated that their study may have underestimated the benefits of dark chocolate.

The overall message? Dark chocolate in very small amounts (about a quarter of one once daily) is a heart-healthy treat. As long as you take the calories and fat into account, and don’t think of it as a nutritional freebie, this is a little luxury that you can feel good about. 

10 Proven Benefits of Chocolate

·       

  High in Antioxidants
Cocoa contains flavanols, a type of flavanoid that is only found in cocoa and chocolate. Flavanoids are naturally-occurring compounds that occur in plant foods that act as antioxidants and help counteract free radicals in the body.

·         Blood Pressure Benefits
Dark chocolate has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure in people with elevated blood pressure.

·         Lower LDL Cholesterol
Eating dark chocolate on a regular basis has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent.

·         Natural Anti-Depressant
Chocolate contains serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. Chocolate also stimulates endorphin production, which creates feelings of happiness and pleasure. In fact, one study found that melting chocolate in the mouth produced feelings of pleasure longer than passionate kissing. This may explain why many people naturally reach for chocolate when they're depressed.

·         Cancer Fighter
Several studies have found chocolate to be one of the best cancer-fighting foods along with foods like red wine, blueberries, garlic, and tea. Two ways that chocolate works as a cancer fighter is by inhibiting cell division and reducing inflammation, though research is ongoing and will probably find additional ways in which chocolate fights cancer.

·         Prevents Tooth Decay
Research has found that the theobromine in chocolate prevents tooth decay by eliminating streptococcus mutans, a bacteria found in the oral cavity that contributes to tooth decay.

·         Longer Life and Less Disease
One Dutch study followed 200 men over 20 years and found that those who consumed large amounts of chocolate, both milk chocolate and dark, lived longer and had lower overall disease rates than men who ate little or no chocolate.

·         A Harvard study on the Kuna tribe of Panama resulted in similar findings. The Kuna consumed large amounts of raw cacao every day and the study found them to have lower overall disease rates and longer life expectancy than neighboring tribes who did not consume as much raw cacao.

·         To further strengthen the case for dark chocolate as a life extender, the world's longest-lived person, Jeanne Louise Calment, lived to the age of 122 and many ascribed her longevity in part to her consumption of 2.5 pounds of dark chocolate a week.

·         High in Magnesium

Cacao is higher in magnesium than any other plant. Magnesium is an important mineral that helps in the regulation of the digestive, neurological, and cardiovascular systems. Since many people are magnesium deficient, adding magnesium-rich dark chocolate to the diet can improve overall health.

·         Artery Cleanup

Studies have shown that the antioxidants in cacao work like brooms in sweeping plaque out of the arteries.

·         Brain Health

Many studies have shown that dark chocolate is good for the brain. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that it can protect the brain after a stroke by shielding the nerve cells from further damage. Dark chocolate has also been found to improve memory. Researchers at California's Salk Institute found that a chemical in chocolate called epicatechin improved the memory of mice.

Research from other sources:

• A 2008 study found that people who ate a small amount of dark chocolate a day (about 6.7 grams) had lower levels of a protein that is associated with inflammation in their blood.
• Other recent studies have found that blood platelets clump together more slowly in chocolate eaters. Clumping platelets can lead to the formation of blood clots, which in turn can cause a heart attack. Chocolate consumption may lower blood pressure, help prevent formation of artery plaques and improve blood flow, according to other research.
• Eating chocolate may even help with math, or at least counting. A study reported in 2009 showed that people did a better job of counting backwards in groups of three after they had consumed a hot cocoa drink containing large amounts of a compound found in chocolate. These compounds, called flavonoids, which we'll get to later, may increase blood flow to the brain.
• Chocolate may also have anti-cancer benefits because flavonoids may help reduce the cell damage that can spur tumor growth.   

So, go ahead…indulge yourself in a bit of chocolaty goodness but like everything else…don’t over do it. Stay healthy people!