9 Great Boosts For Your Health From Dark Chocolate

By Justin French


1.70% dark chocolate has been shown in recent studies to cut dangers of cardiovascular disease by 50% and reduce the risks of stroke, Alzheimer's and diabetes.

2. Thickening of the blood can lead to clots which, in turn, can lead to stroke. However, it seems that the bacteria in your gut can break down dark chocolate into ant-inflammatory compounds which thin the blood lessening the chances of stroke.

3. 20 different studies have shown that eating dark chocolate everyday decreased participant's blood pressure by 2 to 3 points. It seems to encourage the arterial lining to produce Nitric Oxide which relaxes the arteries and reduces the pressure of the blood.

4. You don't have to be elderly or sick to get these benefits either. Young, healthy men in their 20's who ate a small square of dark chocolate daily had some 14% to 23% increased blood flow.

5. Dark chocolate can actually increase HDL, the good cholesterol in your body, due to it's powerful anti-oxidants. This in turn lowers LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol. Lower cholesterol means less chance of damage to arteries, thus protecting your heart.

6. The benefits of eating dark chocolate seem endless! Diabetics were shown in one recent study to obtain improved insulin sensitivity, further, it showed the same insulin sensitivity improvement in non-diabetics too.

7. A substance in dark chocolate called Theobromine could even help protect your teeth by hardening your tooth enamel.

8. Increased protection from sun damage to your skin could also be experienced if you regularly ate dark chocolate.

9. Again, the flavonols in 70% dark chocolate have been shown to improve blood flow - this time to the brain. Another substance, phenylethylamine, helps release 'feel good' hormones in the brain helping you feel relaxed and happy.

How To Choose Chocolate

You don't want the milky, Mars Bars variety. Buy instead chocolates that are clearly labelled 70% or higher. They're not as sweet but you might find you acquire a taste for them.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/weightloss33 Favorites More

 
Design by Free WordPress Themes | Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | Facebook Themes