The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Finally an excuse to indulge yourself in chocolate. Of course the Aztecs have known its benefits back to Montezuma’s time. So it took us awhile to figure out chocolates good for us but at least we finally figured it out.

So why is chocolate so irresistible? Why is it one of those foods that some of us just can’t seem to get enough of? Well if you are a chocolate lover the answer is easy! The taste is so intense it satisfies the most intense cravings.

But wait, there is more to it than that! Chocolate triggers several chemical responses within the body. One of those chemical responses is the stimulation of the production of pleasure endorphins. So eating chocolate can give you the same high a jogger gets after running ten miles.

But that’s not all. Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter which is serotonin a chemical found in the brain. That’s why chocolate is so soothing because it works much like an anti depressant. Other substances have a stimulating effect. There are over 300 chemicals in chocolate and scientists still don’t know how these chemicals interact with our body chemistry to make us feel so darn good.

There have been several studies conducted with dark chocolate and the results are positively divine. Us chocolate lovers now have a medical excuse to eat chocolate.

Studies showed that flavonoids found in dark chocolate or cocoa have two positive effects on the heart. The antioxidants block arterial damage that is caused by free radicals and it inhibits platelet aggregation which causes heart attack and stroke. Other studies are showing that the flavonoids also inhibit the enzyme that causes inflammation.

The antioxidants in dark chocolate are four times the amount found in green tea, and we all know how good green tea is for us. Antioxidants remove free radicals from the body which damage cells and cause diseases such as cancer.

Studies have also shown that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure. Now wouldn’t it be grand if we only had to eat chocolate to lower our blood pressure and no more pills. Okay we aren’t quite there yet, but think of the potential. Chocolate also helps improve insulin resistance and studies are showing some promising results for diabetics.

The study was very simple but basically what was found is that within 15 days the group consuming dark chocolate saw significant decreases in their blood pressure while the group eating white chocolate saw no changes.

As more studies are conducted some of the old myths about chocolate are finally dying too like the myth that chocolate rots your teeth or causes acne. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Actually chocolate is quite a healthy snack. It contains phosphate and minerals, potassium, magnesium, Vitamins B1, B2, E, and D and an average size chocolate bar contains about 200 calories.

So the next time someone tells you not to eat chocolate tell them the benefits of eating dark chocolate and encourage them to try it. The future of chocolate is looking pretty darn good. So the next time someone scorns your choice of junk foods, you can let them know that at least your snack is good for your health and so delicious!


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.