We all know that anything that tastes or feels good is bad for you, right? Perhaps, everyone knows how Sex Is Good For Males. Well, dark chocolate is yet another example!!!
Dark chocolate is relatively low on calories and high on flavanoid-rich cocoa. So, the question is ?"Does a chocolate a day really keep the doctor away?"
Let's take a look some of the data that are out there.
Research published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and others have examined this question and the answers are promising.
It starts with the antioxidant properties of dark chocolate. Antioxidants can be thought of as scavengers in the body that gobble up dangerous free radicals and other destructive molecules.
The merits of dark chocolate are coming out in the studies almost every month, but here's a few of the most important.
I. Heart Health. Cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, is very good for the heart. It lowers blood pressure among other things.
II. Men's Health. Dark chocolate increases Nitric Oxide, the stuff of erections. Yes, it increases blood flow into the penis and that's just what you need for a healthy sex life.
III. Inflammation. A 2008 study showed that small amounts, 1-2 squares of dark chocolate reduced inflammation, which is implicated in heart disease and a host of other ailments.
IV. Delay In Dementia and Alzheimers. The polyphenols in dark chocolate will very likely delay and prevent Alzheimers and dementia according to one recent study.
V. Appetite Suppression. Dark chocolate is highly satisfying to the appetite and can actually help you to lose weight. Researchers in Copenhagen showed that men who first consumed dark chocolate later consumed 15% less pizza, which adds up to a lot of calories. In other words, dark chocolate can actually prevent you from overstuffing the ol' pie hole.
VI. Stearic Acid. The primary fat in chocolate is a saturated fat, but has much less negative effects on your blood lipids than most other kinds of saturated fat.
VII. Stress Reduction. Well, this is still more good news for chocolate lovers. Did you know that Nestle's lab found that in high anxiety subjects, a small bar of dark chocolate significantly reduced stress hormones.
VIII. Healhtier Skin. Consumption of 2 tablespoons of high-flavanoid cacao for 12 weeks resulted in skin that was smoother and more moist, which is important for a more youthful look.
IX. Heart Failure Protection. One 2010 study on women showed substantial protection against heart failure hospitalization or death in those who ate just an ounce of chocolate - not necessarily dark in this case - once or twice per week. Note that eating over one serving per day was associated in a loss of all protective benefits.
X. Brain and Vision. High flavanol dark chocolate was found to significantly increase short term cognitive and visual brain functions. For example, it improved choice reaction time, spatial memory, visual contrast sensitivity and motion detection for starters. In other words, chocolate is not just a sex booster - it's a brain booster.
XI. Medicine. Yes, researchers have actually suggested that dark chocolate could be used as medicine! As I always say, "Food is clinical" and dark chocolate is a perfect example of this.
XII. Insulin Sensitivity. One of the huge battles for most men (>40) is managing their blood glucose and insulin levels. Of course, prediabetes and often Metabolic Syndrome occur when men lose their insulin sensitivity. (This can be triggered by Inflammation.) Again, high quality cocoa can come to the rescue as one study found that it increased insulin sensitivity.
Is there anything this wonder plant can't do???
Therefore, What are you waiting for? That's my only question for those of you who don't eat dark chocolate. It is simply one of those things in life that is too good to be true but really is. Go and grab a piece of chocolate and enjoy your day...
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