Goodness of Chocolates...
From high blood pressure to low sex drive and dry skin -- not to mention fights with the boyfriend and bad days at work -- it seems there’s nothing chocolate can’t fix. While a prescription from your doctor to “take two squares of chocolate and call me in the morning” may be a ways off, chocolate has been shown to improve artery functioning (even in smokers, who face a higher risk of blood vessel stiffening which can lead to heart attacks and stroke), raise levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol while lowering “bad” cholesterol, and reduce the risk of blood clots.
Chocolate’s benefits come from their phytochemical content – compounds in plant-based foods that contain potent antioxidants. Chocolate contains flavonols, the same compounds that give red wine and green tea their benefits. But not all chocolate is created equal. “Dark chocolate contains more than milk chocolate and infinitely more than white chocolate, which contains no flavonols whatsoever,” Blumberg says. There is also evidence that the milk in milk chocolate or milk additives in dark chocolate can limit the body’s ability to absorb any antioxidants contained.
All the studies on the health benefits of chocolate certainly sound like good news for those addicted to the once-sinful treat. But before you go loading up your supermarket cart with Kit Kats and Oh Henry bars or gorge yourself on Godivas in the name of good health, take heed: The type of chocolate you indulge in has a major impact on what benefits you’ll reap.
From high blood pressure to low sex drive and dry skin -- not to mention fights with the boyfriend and bad days at work -- it seems there’s nothing chocolate can’t fix. While a prescription from your doctor to “take two squares of chocolate and call me in the morning” may be a ways off, chocolate has been shown to improve artery functioning (even in smokers, who face a higher risk of blood vessel stiffening which can lead to heart attacks and stroke), raise levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol while lowering “bad” cholesterol, and reduce the risk of blood clots.
“The biggest, most consistent evidence to date has to do with cocoa’s benefits on the cardiovascular system,” says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University.
But heart benefits aren’t the only reason to melt over chocolate. It also has been shown to boost insulin sensitivity thereby lowering the risk of diabetes, and may even improve spatial memory. Oh, and it’s been scientifically proven to make us feel good. One study found that women who eat chocolate rated significantly higher on a standardized scale of sexual functioning, while research out of the U.K. released this year showed that eating chocolate caused a bigger and longer-lasting boost in heart rate and brain activity than passionate kissing.
Chocolate’s benefits come from their phytochemical content – compounds in plant-based foods that contain potent antioxidants. Chocolate contains flavonols, the same compounds that give red wine and green tea their benefits. But not all chocolate is created equal. “Dark chocolate contains more than milk chocolate and infinitely more than white chocolate, which contains no flavonols whatsoever,” Blumberg says. There is also evidence that the milk in milk chocolate or milk additives in dark chocolate can limit the body’s ability to absorb any antioxidants contained.
Sure its all from Dark Chocolate
