Some people like chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Pancakes can provide carbs, but is chocolate syrup healthy enough?
Do you like chocolate? The good news is, chocolate is sweet for you. While most of the people in society have heard about the health benefits of dark chocolate, most of the people have no idea what they are or how they work on their body.
The truth is, bittersweet chocolate is one of the best sources of antioxidants. The sweet treat, made up of the seeds of the cocoa tree, reduces the danger of heart disease and is rich in nutrients, particularly flavanols.
1. Sources of antioxidants
Organic compounds in bittersweet chocolate are active in the body and act as antioxidants, particularly flavonoids, polyphenols and catechins. Cocoa is one among the foods with the highest levels of oxygen free radical absorbability, a measure of antioxidant activity.
2. Contributes to healthy blood flow and pressure
The flavors we talked about earlier help with healthy blood flow by stimulating the liner of arteries and producing nitric oxide, which sends signals to relax the arteries. These relaxed arteries reduce resistance to blood flow, which naturally lowers vital sign .
However, these effects are modest at the best , so if you've got high blood pressure, bittersweet chocolate alone won't fix it. More research is required in this area.
3. it's going to reduce the risk of heart disease.
When cholesterol oxidizes, it can become lodged within the arteries, eventually resulting in heart disease. Compounds in bittersweet chocolate protect the body from this oxidation. Cocoa reduces the danger of death from heart disease by 50 per cent over 15 years, a study has found.
Another study showed that eating bittersweet chocolate twice a week reduced calcified plaque in the arteries by 32 percent. Eating quite five times a week was associated with a 57% lower risk of heart disease. Mixing it with almonds are often even more helpful in improving those bad cholesterol levels.
4. It can help prevent disorder , stroke and diabetes.
And it isn't just heart disease. bittersweet chocolate can significantly reduce the risk of stroke, a study suggests. Following quite 20,000 people for quite a decade, the study found a robust correlation between the two.
Chocolate has been found to extend insulin resistance, which may determine the development of diabetes. It also promotes endothelial function, which helps maintain arterial health and improves cardiovascular health.
In fact, chocolate has such a positive effect on the physical body that some experts are wavering on whether to call it food or medicine.
5. Lower bad cholesterol levels
When it involves other health benefits, lowering bad cholesterol levels may be a health improvement in itself. Bad cholesterol reacts with free radicals and may damage natural tissues, like the lining of arteries. When cocoa's antioxidants enter the bloodstream, they protect the body's lipoproteins from oxidation.
6. It can help your brain function.
It's not just your body that benefits from dark chocolate, it is your brain as well. Eating bittersweet chocolate for five days can improve blood flow to the brain, a study has shown. Over time, cocoa can improve cognitive function and even speech fluency in older adults with mild impairments. The short-term effects of cocoa on brain function are often attributed to its stimulants, like caffeine and theobromine.
