HEALTHY BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATE

All of us loves to eat chocolate, now there is healthy reason that will increase your interest. Studies have revealed that eating chocolate - in reasonable amounts - makes you feel emotionally better and even it protects against heart disease.

PHOTOGRAPH BY HEMERA/THINKSTOCK

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans -- the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it every day can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.

Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

But most of the commercial chocolate available in the markets are highly processed. Most milk and heavily processed chocolate contains added saturated fatty acids, which, along with added sugar, may negate cocoa's health benefits and are likely to raise cholesterol. But dark and unprocessed chocolate, with at least 60%-70% cocoa, is associated with decreased low-density lipoprotein levels and increased high-density lipoprotein levels.

Be careful about the type of dark chocolate you choose: chewy caramel-marshmallow-nut-covered dark chocolate is by no means a heart-healthy food option.'15 Be aware that milk chocolate does not have the same healthy effect as unadulterated dark chocolate, because milk often prevents absorption of polyphenols.

Source:

 http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/chocolate#2