With the spring holidays here, chocolate candy is everywhere! Yes, it’s a source of fat, sugar and calories. But research has shown that dark chocolate has some health benefits, too. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s philly.com Web site gives you permission to indulge in some dark chocolate.
Oh, those flavonoids: Eating a little bit of dark chocolate can reduce your odds of heart attack and stroke, thanks to its flavonoids content. In 2006, German researchers found that flavonoids in dark chocolate help act as a sunscreen to battle UV rays. They also increase blood flow to the skin, increase skin density, and improve hydration in women.
It gets better: The flavonoids also are found to enhance cognitive functions, reduce the risk of dementia, and improve performance on challenging brain teasers, according to a 2012 New England Journal of Medicine report.
Stress management: Dark chocolate has been known to raise endorphin levels in the brain to lower negative reactions to stress.
Body Mass Index: Believe it or not, a 2102 Archives of Internal Medicine survey showed that individuals who ate chocolate frequently had a lower BMI than those who didn’t.
Tryptophan isn’t just for Thanksgiving turkey. Chocolate also has this chemical that triggers serotonin, a natural antidepressant.
Have a cough? Hold the “c” word: That’s codeine, not chocolate. Dark chocolate has theobromine that’s been found to be more effective than codeine to help calm a cough.
Preeclampsia precaution … and happy babies: A 2008 Yale study showed that eating multiple servings of dark chocolate while pregnant can reduce the likelihood of preeclampsia, a condition that can develop into the dangerous eclampsia, which causes seizures. (Downton Abbey fans pause to think of Lady Sybil.)
Another bonus for the pregnancy noshe—“chocolate makes for happier babies,” Finnish scientists found, thanks to the mood-altering chemical phenylethylamine. The BBC reported this back in 2004, and at that time, Nigel Denby of the British Diabetic Association warned, “I wouldn’t advocate supplementing the diet during pregnancy with chocolate.”
The most surprising find of all: A 2005 Italian study found that the flavonoids in dark chocolate can not only lower blood pressure and cholesterol, but can also improve the body’s processing of sugar—which theoretically could guard against the onset of diabetes. The researchers, however, did not claim that dark chocolate was therapeutic, but that “a little bit of cocoa per day can be useful,” said study leader Claudio Ferri.
In truth, there is no silver bullet for health issues other than a sensible diet, adequate hydration, and routine exercise. But these studies are interesting to consider!
