Health Benefits of Chocolate Growing. Latest Nutrition, Food & Recipes News Moderate Amounts May Help Heart Health and More, Researchers Find By Kathleen DohenyWebMD Health News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD March 29, 2012 (San Diego) -- Chocolate is increasingly shedding its reputation as a sweet treat only.
More research is uncovering health benefits when the dark stuff is eaten in moderation. At the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society here, a three-hour symposium was devoted to cocoa science and technology. Here is an update on questions chocolate lovers may have. What can chocolate do for your heart health? While some heart benefits of chocolate are solid, others are still under debate, says Eric Ding, PhD, instructor of medicine and nutritional epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School. The studies included more than 1,100 people. "The blood pressure-lowering effect is well known," he says. There is also solid evidence that chocolate can increase HDL or "good" cholesterol, Ding and his colleagues found. Heart-Health Benefits of Chocolate Unveiled. Is Chocolate Good for Your Heart?
Why a little, in moderation, may be beneficial Chocolate has gotten a lot of media coverage in recent years because it's believed that it may help protect your cardiovascular system. The reasoning being that the cocoa bean is rich in a class of plant nutrients called flavonoids. Flavonoids help protect plants from environmental toxins and help repair damage. They can be found in a variety of foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are believed to help the body's cells resist damage caused by free radicals that are formed by normal bodily processes, such as breathing, and from environmental contaminants, like cigarette smoke.
Flavanols are the main type of flavonoid found in cocoa and chocolate. These plant chemicals aren’t only found in chocolate. Chemicals in Chocolate and their Impact on the Brain. Eating chocolate makes us feel good.
But why exactly? Is it the taste? Is there something inside the chocolate? Researchers are trying to answer all these questions. This is what they do know: chocolate contains more than 500 natural chemical compounds, some of which have been categorized as mood-elevating and pleasure-inducing. Following is a list of the compounds believed to have some effects on the brain. Theobromine Chocolate is one of nature's most concentrated sources of theobromine, a mild, natural stimulant and molecular "cousin" of caffeine. Theobromine has also been shown to reduce coughing and has been used in "natural" cough medicine preparations as a cough suppressant. Caffeine Chocolate contains relatively small amounts of caffeine, about as much as a cup of decaffeinated coffee. Phenylethylamine (PEA) Dark Chocolate's Health Benefits.
It's more than wishful thinking — chocolate can be good for you.
Studies show that eating chocolate, primarily dark chocolate , may contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and blueberries. That's because chocolate comes from cacao beans (or cocoa beans) , which grow on the cacao tree and are full of natural plant nutrients. Most of the studies to date highlight dark chocolate's health values because it has the highest percentage of cocoa solids, therefore more flavanol antioxidants. An Antioxidant Powerhouse. Chocolate and Blood Sugar. Despite its "sweet" reputation, chocolate has a low glycemic index — the measure of a food's impact on blood sugar levels.
This means that eating chocolate, unlike other candies or sweet foods, will not cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. This up-down, yo-yo effect can wreak havoc on your mood and energy level, and even throw off your natural hunger cues, making you feel hungry when you really aren't. Watching Your Blood Sugar Chocolate's low glycemic index is not the only good news for people who must vigilantly watch their blood sugar.
The antioxidants in dark chocolate and cocoa may aid the impaired circulation and unhealthy blood vessels that often precede the development of diabetes while also possibly improving cells' sensitivity to insulin and glucose. Dark Chocolate Is Healthy Chocolate. Dark Chocolate Has Health Benefits Not Seen in Other Varieties Why do I need to register or sign in for WebMD to save?
We will provide you with a dropdown of all your saved articles when you are registered and signed in. Aug. 27, 2003 -- Got high blood pressure? Try a truffle. Worried about heart disease? It's the best medical news in ages. . © 2008 WebMD, LLC. Dark Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure Dark chocolate -- not white chocolate -- lowers high blood pressure, say Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany. Continue reading below... But that's no license to go on a chocolate binge.