A lot of research has gone into chocolate consumption and it turns out really good for your health. It seems daily consumption of dark chocolate can keep a doctor far away.
Dark chocolates have an abundance of benefits but experts warn that it's also highly fattening and often be filled with lots of added sugars.
This delicious food has so many advantages:
1. Rich in Nutrients
Dark chocolate is rich in many vitamins and minerals that are vital for your body's functioning. It has a high concentration of magnesium, iron, potassium, and copper. Magnesium helps prevent high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and other heart diseases while iron protects anemia.
2. Improves Blood Circulation and Blood Pressure
A significant benefit of dark chocolate is that it's good for your heart and blood because it may improve your blood flow and lower blood pressure. Dark chocolates contain chemical compounds called flavanols, they stimulate the lining of arteries to produce a gas called nitric oxide.
This gas sends signals to blood vessels to relax which lowers resistance to blood flow and this helps reduce your chance of blood clots forming and prevent hardening of arteries.
3. It's Good for Insulin Resistance
Eating dark chocolates is that its good option for those with diabetes as it has a low glycemic index, so eating does not make your sugar level rise. They retrain your body to use insulin effectively.
4. It Can Reduce Cholesterol
Researches have found that eating dark chocolates regularly lowers LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is often called the “bad” cholesterol. Dark chocolates contain powerful antioxidants that protect against oxidative damage.
5. It Improves Skin Health
Dark chocolates can be good for your skin health. Flavonoids in dark chocolates increase skin density and hydration and improve blood flow to your skin.
6. Protection for Your Teeth
Dark chocolates contain THEOBROMINE which eliminates bacteria and hardens tooth enamel. If you practice good dental hygiene dark chocolates can actually lower your risk of getting cavities.
7. It Can Treat Coughs
THEOBROMINE is also a mild stimulant and does wonders for suppressing coughs. These chemical compounds block sensory nerves from the activity and this stops the cough reflex.
8. It Has Anti Aging Properties and Fights Cancer
Dark chocolates are packed with antioxidants that fight toxins and free radicals in your body that cause damage to skin cells. Not only do the antioxidants slow down the aging process but they also eliminate certain cancerous cells.
Flavanols, polyphenols, and proanthocyanidins are antioxidants present in dark chocolates that help slow the growth of cancer cells.
9. It's a Mood Enhancer
The reason is that chocolates stimulate your body"s production of endorphins and serotonin hormone that cause you to feel pleasure and happiness.
10. Acts as a Stress Reliever
Researches have found that people who ate dark chocolates regularly had a lower level of stress hormone circulating in the blood.
However, one must remember that anything in excess quantity is harmful to human health. Consuming dark chocolate once in regulated quantities is advisable.