Chocolate fiends find new reasons to munch
Dark chocolate makes for a romantic present, a nice snack, and a nice companion for a glass of wine, but many dark chocolate lovers are unaware of the fact that this addicting treat is actually good for their health.
Resent research has found this inexpensive candy to be a great health benefit.
Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and his fellow colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany have confirmed that dark chocolate, unlike white and milk chocolate, lowers high blood pressure.
These researchers tested on a group of people, having half of them eat small quantities of dark chocolate, while the other half ate the same amount of white chocolate, for five moths. Results conclided that the blood pressure of those who ate the white chocolate during the testing period remained unchanged while the dark chocolate group showed a decrease in their blood pressure.
In other words, the darker the chocolate the lower the higher the liklihood of decreasing one’s blood pressure.
According to a study by Holland’s National Institute of Public Health, dark chocolate contains four times the antioxidant qualities that is found in tea. It was also reported that cocoa reduces blood pressure.
The study shows for the first time that consumption of dark chocolate acutely decreases wave reflections that do not affect aortic stiffness, and that it may exert beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, further studies are warranted to assess any long term effects.
“I love chocolate, both white and dark, but I try to cut it out from my diet, because I heard it causes acne,” said Ana Bravo, 23, undecided.
Eating chocolate, however, neither causes nor aggravates acne, as many people belief.
In fact recent research has shown that eating chocolate or not eating it, does not produce any significant changes in the acne conditions in human beings.
Chocolate also contains a variety of minerals that are essential good nutrition.
“It’s so addictinng and full of calories, but I still eat it,” said Jessica Miller 18, psychology.
However eating too much chocolate, like any other food may cause health problems. It is important for chocolate lovers to remember that chocolate is high in calories, and eating too much can lead to obesity and can also increase your risk of heart disease.