Science Reveals How Chocolate Can Improve Your Health

Science Reveals How Chocolate Can Improve Your Health
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Although many people consider chocolate to be a “unhealthy” meal, dark chocolate has been shown to provide several health advantages, ranging from improved mood to improved skin.

A few pieces of dark chocolate, on the other hand, might be exactly what the doctor ordered, as it were. While consuming a bar of caramel-filled milk chocolate on a daily basis is definitely not the healthiest option, it can be rather satisfying.

Scientists conducted a study on more than 20,000 adults in the United States aged 60 and up, and then followed up with them several years later, supplementing some of the participants’ diets with the cocoa extract. The findings were released previously this month in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Participants in the study who got the supplement had a considerably lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Past research

Flavanols are chemicals that may be found in cocoa powder, chocolate, and other foods, and they have been connected to a variety of health advantages in recent research. According to the findings of a 2014 research on cocoa flavanols, which was also reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they may have a part in protecting you against cognitive impairment as you mature.

Additional research released in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal in 2005 uncovered proof that flavanols present in chocolate may lower blood pressure levels in certain people.

There is one important issue to note about this most recent study: the researchers got money from Mars, Incorporated, the firm that owns popular snack brands such as Snickers, M&M’s, and others. Mars supplied the research tablets as well as the package. The study’s ramifications, on the other hand, go well beyond the realm of chocolate goods.

More study is needed to determine precisely how cocoa flavanols influence cardiovascular health, according to the authors. In spite of this, considering the documented health advantages of dark chocolate, you could always grab a bar on your next trip to the store, particularly if you appreciate the flavor.


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Anna is an avid blogger with an educational background in medicine and mental health. She is a generalist with many other interests including nutrition, women's health, astronomy and photography. In her free time from work and writing, Anna enjoys nature walks, reading, and listening to jazz and classical music.

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