Health Benefits Of Chocolate: Are They For Real?

By Bobby Parrish

By Bobby Parrish

Several studies have proved that chocolate has health benefits. Findings have concluded that chocolate can be actually good for your health since it contains more than 300 chemicals which benefit your body. This is in contradiction to the old myth that anything that tastes good is bad for you. It used to be that folks would warn their children against eating too much chocolate, believing that eating this food would cause all manner of illnesses.

But researches concluded that chocolate is higher in antioxidants than other better known sources of antioxidants.

Following is the result of one of the studies:

Cocoa powder is found to contain the highest quantity and quality anti-oxidants.

Dark chocolate is second to cocoa powder. Results also showed that dark chocolate has eight times the polyphenol antioxidants than strawberries.

Milk chocolate is the third kind of chocolate that has high antioxidant levels.

Furthermore, in a study conducted in 2001, 23 participants who included in their diet dark chocolate and high flavonoid-rich cocoa powder were found to have higher HDL cholesterol, also called the good cholesterol, concentrations as opposed to other control participants. Although the investigation about the health effects of chocolate was done in a relatively small group of people, it suggested that there is more to chocolates just good taste.

Additional research done in 2005 suggests that dark chocolate can actually lower blood pressure in individuals suffering with hypertension. It also produced comparable results to other research, wherein LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, levels were found to drop by at least 10 percent.

Comparing these few studies a conclusion can be reached that chocolate contains a high amount of good chemicals, which completely opposes the old myth and half-truths established long ago that chocolate is not good for you. However, moderation is the key when consuming any food. Don't use the theory that if a little is good for me then a lot will be even better. Overindulgence in any activity can be detrimental.

Remember that there are chocolates that can be good for you while there are others that can be bad, especially those that are highly-processed and poorly made. Some of those are chocolate candies and bars, which are high in calories, sugar, and fat. This does not necessarily mean that you have to entirely avoid these kinds of chocolates; however, take them in moderation.

Health benefits of chocolate may not be beneficial at all if you have certain medical conditions, so you should consult with your doctor or nutritionist to avoid unnecessary medical consequences.

Health Benefits Of Chocolate: Are They For Real?

By: Bobby Parrish

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