Many people love to eat chocolate, and many will love it even more when they discover that it can actually be good for you. with that good news, people need to know what is good for them and what is bad for them. The part of chocolate that makes it healthy, is the nutrient cocoa flavanol. Dark chocolate contains a much higher cocoa flavanol content than that of milk chocolate. This contributes to the bitter taste, which usually makes people prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate. Cocoa flavanols which can be found in dark chocolate can e used to provide a range of health short and long term health benefits.
Cocoa flavanols are phytonutrients that can be found in wine, tea, nuts, fruits and vegetables. There have been many health benefit associated with cocoa flavanols. In the book Let Them Eat Flax by Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Dr. Hollenberg of Harvard Medical School was supported by a company called Mars, to conduct research. His studies showed that the “high-flavanol cocoa relaxed blood vessels in people and led to better circulation. Amazingly, it resulted in a 33 percent improvement of blood flow to the brain, which could be meaningful for people suffering from dementia caused by poor circulation.” Dr. Hollenberg performed some more research with flavanols, and found that “these compounds increase the release of nitric oxide, a substance that causes blood vessels to dilate, which in turn, lead to a decreased blood pressure.” Further research has also been made by Dr. Denise O’Shaugnessy, and her team discovered that just one cup of cocoa could “inhibit the functioning of platelets, which are involved in blood clot formation.”
Along with helping the body function, cocoa flavanols help the body defend against destructive molecules called free radicals, which can cause cancer, heart disease and stroke. A tribe located in Central America called the Kuna tribe drink up to five cups of cocoa per day, and have a diet very rich in cocoa. They very rarely suffer from...