subject: Benefits On Health By Consuming Dark Chocolate [print this page] Sweets and chocolates are a strict no to kids and health conscious people as they tend to increase weight and cause ill health. However, fresh evidences have proved otherwise, especially in the case of consuming dark chocolate. Researchers have proved that dark chocolates if consumed in the right quantity have the capacity to control several heart related diseases and even high blood pressure. But, this does not mean that one should go on a dark chocolate eating spree at any point of time. As the saying goes, even medicine if taken in the wrong quantity can become a poison.
Several studies have shown that dark chocolate has actually lowered the blood pressure in most participants. This is great news especially for the chocolate lovers, who till now have been restricted to just one or two chocolates in a month. Dark chocolate, being healthy can be consumed by people of any age. But, the individual is to make sure that he takes care of the caloric intake and balance it by cutting the calories somewhere else.
Dark chocolate is said to comprise antioxidants. Hence, it needs to be eaten alone and should not be taken along with milk or anything else as the antioxidant effect would be eliminated. The antioxidants are useful as they tend to eliminate and attack the free radicals that are regarded as the culprit of most diseases, which includes heart disease. Thirteen individuals of age ranging between 55 and 64 were researched upon. Half of them were provided with 100 grams of dark chocolate bar, while the remaining half with 100 grams of white chocolate bar. And their calorie intake was balanced by removing 480 calories from other food. After two weeks, the group which took dark chocolates saw a good amount of drop in the blood pressure. As a matter of fact, it averaged to 2 diastolic and 5 systolic points. But, the group that consumed white chocolates did not derive any benefit. Another study was conducted among age group between 25 and 35. Half was given 100 grams dark chocolates and the other half along with milk. The research found that the first group that took the chocolate alone had more amounts of antioxidants in their blood than the second group.
This proves that dark chocolates if taken in the right amount can do a lot of good for the health and keep away the heart related ailments at bay.
