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If Eaten in Moderation, Dark Chocolate Possesses Multiple Health Advantages

12th April, 2012 - Posted by health news - No Comments

This may be the very best news you may receive all day, particularly if you’re a chocolate enthusiast: dark chocolate is actually good for you. That’s really sweet news to all chocolate lovers, however before we go into all dark chocolate’s wonderful qualities, a word of caution: the majority of the product consumed now is in the form of sweet chocolate, which mixes chocolate and sugar. And we know everything regarding sugar and the harms it causes.

So prior to starting to devour sizeable quantities of chocolate as if it were health food, know that it will be elevated in natural cocoa butter, fat, along with elevated with calories. In addition what is added, like additional fats, sugars and milk may dramatically increase the caloric content. Additional forms of chocolate, including milk and white chocolate, have still added additives that increase their caloric content.

Just what is the secret ingredient within dark chocolate that makes it so healthy? The answer is catechins. Evaluating the content of catechins in dark chocolate, tea and milk chocolate, dark chocolate had the premier concentration for this significant antioxidant. They’re part of a family known as flavonoids, so if you know what you are looking for in dark chocolate and consume the right kind in moderation, here are several of the good health values you are going to be getting.

1. Antioxidants. Testing in labratories have found catechins have proven beneficial in inhibiting the expansion of cancer cells. They are able to thwart the activity of free radicals, that are molecules that set off cellular damage which can lead to cancer.
2. Mood enhancer. Chocolate has the chemical serotonin, that acts like an anti-depressant. Eac area stimulate the creation of endorphins, that are chemicals in the brain that is a pleasure enhancer.
3. Protects the skin. The flavonoids in dark chocolate take in UV light, therefore helping to improve the skin’s hydration plus increase circulation.
4. Reducing blood pressure. A report out of Great Britain found that folks consuming just 7.5 grams of chocolate each day were at 39% reduced threat to have a heart attack or stroke over people who consumed just .7 grams. An additional report found that folks that consumed just moderate amounts of chocolate had a significantly positive influence on blood pressure. The research confirmed that the flavonoids in chocolate increased the flow of blood around the brain, as Poor Blood Circulation Symptoms will often bring about stroke.

Clearly chocolate will surely have some good health values for you, however just as clearly there is certainly a point of diminishing returns so far as chocolate consumption goes. The benefits are affiliated with fairly small amounts of chocolate consumed. Even the uppermost consumption of chocolate in the test equaled about one square of chocolate per day or half a small chocolate Easter egg within a week.

So when you happen to be thinking of taking dark chocolate for medical reasons, the medicine should appear in small quantities, to be sure. One hundred grams of dark chocolate includes about 500 calories, and if you check out Recommended Caloric Intake you’ll discover that will take a massive chunk of what you ought to be consuming over a day by day basis.