Dark Chocolate Benefits: Consuming high-cocoa dark chocolate in moderation can provide antioxidants and minerals as well as possibly reducing your risk of heart disease.
Dark Chocolate Benefits: No matter our age, we all enjoy chocolate, and this is one food that is not only scrumptious but also has significant health advantages. Chocolate can be found in liquid, solid, or powdered form and is made from the cacao seeds of the Theobroma tree. Once more, it may be found in the three typical types of dark, milk, or white chocolate, each of which has a distinct application in either cooking or consumption. While excessive use of any meal can be harmful rather than beneficial, chocolate is an excellent source of antioxidants, lowers the risk of heart disease, and has aphrodisiac properties.
7 INCREDIBLE HEALTH BENEFITS OF DARK CHOCOLATES
- Manages Blood Pressure: Eaten in moderation, the flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the endothelium, the lining of arteries, to produce nitric oxide (NO). The nitric oxide functions by sending signals to the arteries to relax, which, in turn, lowers the resistance to blood flow and reduces blood pressure.
- Increases Good Cholesterol: A study found that cocoa powder has the capability to increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which is good cholesterol, and lower the oxidized low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which is bad cholesterol. Dark chocolate can also reduce insulin resistance, which is a factor for many diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
- Reduces Risk of Heart Diseases: Dark chocolate has compounds that appear to protect against oxidation of LDL, which in the long run could lessen cholesterol lodged in the arteries and lower the risk of heart disease. A study showed that eating chocolate two or more times per week lowered the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by 32 per cent. Another study showed that eating dark chocolate more than 5 times per week lowered the risk of heart disease by 57 per cent.
- Improves Blood Flow: Dark chocolate contains bio-active compounds that are good for the skin, with flavanols protecting against sun damage, improving blood flow to the skin and increasing skin density and hydration.
- Improves Brain Function: A study has shown that dark chocolate could help in improving the function of the brain, with healthy volunteers showing that eating high-flavanol cocoa for five days improved blood flow to the brain. Apart from that, cocoa could also improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment and improve verbal fluency. The fact that cocoa contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, could explain why it improves brain function in the short term.
You must always remember that chocolates are fattening and contain sugar, so you should NOT consume too much of it.