Chocolate, the ubiquitous delicacy that all of us relish, has, of late, become a subject of heated arguments relating to its health benefits or the lack of them. Chocolate has always been a favorite with all of us, always. It was never considered a health food, but recent researches have come up with some very interesting aspects of chocolate, relating to the health of the heart and brain. This is great news for all the chocolate lovers out there. Heart diseases, of late, has become one of the biggest killers of mankind. In addition, brain-related diseases are also on the rise, thanks to many factors, which include changed lifestyles too.
When we talk about heart diseases we do not just mean heart strokes, but a vast group of diseases that affect the blood vessels like coronary artery disease, irregularity of heart beats, blockages and so on. Some researchers are of the view that contrary to what many believes, dark chocolate can work wonders in lessening the impact of these diseases and keep attacks at bay if eaten on a daily basis.
One thing that needs to be stressed here is that it is not the chocolate that we eat, but the additives like fat, sugar etc in the chocolate based drinks, cookies and sweets that we consume are the real culprits. This is why experts stress on consuming dark chocolate and not the milk chocolates and other varieties that are found abundantly in the market. There have been several studies on the positive health effects of chocolate on the heart and brain in which more than one hundred thousand subjects were examined, and the results showed that around 37% of exhibited lesser chances of heart diseases and around 29% less chances of a heart stroke compared to those who consumed very less quantities.
Chocolate has always been denigrated as a reason for teeth decay, obesity and a number of other health problems. But as per facts, chocolate is not bad for your health if you set a limit on its consumption. In fact, the presence of polyphenols, an antioxidant, helps improve the production of nitric oxide in the body, which in turn, would stabilize blood pressure and improves the flow of blood through the arteries. Additionally, consumption of moderate amounts of dark chocolate also reduces had cholesterol. Another plus factor is that chocolate is made of plant matter.
Chocolate can also stimulate the production of endorphin inside the body. Being an antidepressant, this compound can automatically improve your brain health. To put in a nutshell, chocolate has many positive health aspects, which have been proved time and again.
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