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When I was a kid, my parents will usually buy us plenty of chocolates, biscuits, candies and milk drinks that are good for us like the Anchor Wam before, Yakult and etc. My favorite will always be the chocolate especially the white chocolate or milk chocolate because it is delicious, really, and the only chocolate will be left behind are the dark chocolates that my mother and my grandmother will eat it or give it our neighbors. For this, we don't know that the dark chocolate has these amazing benefits to its consumers.
What is Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is known for bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, sweet dark chocolate.
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A chocolate that is without added any milk (that can be found in milk chocolate) is the Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate doesn't contain milk but the absence of milk means that dark chocolate more likely dry, chalky texture and has a bittersweet or semi-sweet aftertaste. This type of chocolate has the ingredients of cacao beans, sugar, soy lecithin (to preserve the texture), and vanilla for flavorings).
The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
Help Reduce the risk of Heart Diseases and Lowers the Blood Pressure
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Eating a small amount of dark chocolate can help you prevent any cardiovascular disease. For it has antioxidants such as flavonoids that have a beneficial effect on heart health through aiding the blood pressure. Antioxidants will help your health improves the blood flow that will cause a decrease in its resistance and necessarily eases the blood pressure in small amounts in opposition to the arteries. High blood pressure or HBP is always linked to cardiovascular diseases, thus by lowering it little by little has a massive effect by eliminating the risk.
Minerals like copper and magnesium can be found in dark chocolate, which is helpful for keeping the blood pressure or BP normal.
Raises good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol
Dark chocolate has a cocoa butter that contains the equal amounts of oleic acid (a healthy monounsaturated fat for our heart can also be found in olive oil), palmitic acid and stearic acids. Saturated fats are forms of Palmitic acids and stearic acids, and it shows that stearic acids have a neutral effect on cholesterol and which means it helps to raise and lower cholesterol which is the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) that is known for the bad cholesterol and HDL (high-density cholesterol) that is known for the good cholesterol). One of the degenerative condition of the arteries is Atherogenesis that is caused by the low-quality lipids that are being oxidized. Dark chocolate has been shown to stop the oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) which is one of the considerable contributors to atherogenesis.
Prevents Diabetes
If you want to eat chocolate without raising your blood sugar, this dark chocolate will help you prevent diabetes for it has a low-sugar content.
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Dark chocolate has been shown to fortify endothelial function and insulin resistance. The endothelium is exceptionally the most crucial in maintaining arterial health and insulin resistance. Cocoa and its flavonoids, help to positively balance these systems. The flavonoids, which are the antioxidants in dark chocolate can create a gas called (NO) Nitric oxide that aids to control insulin sensitivity. And also, dark chocolate enhances glucose balance and inflammation markers. Therefore, it reduces the blood sugar levels of our body and consequently lowers the risk of diabetes.
Helps to lose weight
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Cocoa or dark chocolate intake can help you control or lose your weight. Dark chocolate minimizes the cravings for sweets, fatty and salty foods that could lead to increasing the weight. This type of chocolate has a high level of satiety value which helps you feel full for a long period of time, it is packed with monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFA'S are well known for boosting the metabolism and burning the fat on the body. Basically, this will guarantee that there are the least added sugars, so grab your bitter yet sweet chocolate without having effects of your blood sugar.
It is not necessary to devour all the chocolate bar to help you reduce your weight but instead, just a small piece will help you suffice yourself.
Protect the skin for Sun
Dark chocolate has been known to prevent the damage from UV rays or ultraviolet rays. UV rays are the light emitted by the sun. The flavanols have a great impact from protecting the skin against sun-induced damage, it will even boost the blood flow to the skin and improve skin density and hydration. Dark chocolate helps you lessen the probability of getting your skin from sunburned or not to burn your skin too much. And if ever you've got sunburned, dark chocolate will help you heal fast.
Reduces Risk of Developing Neurological Diseases
The neuroinflammation is responsible for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. But by the help of flavonoids in dark chocolate, it is shown that is notable for protecting the neurons in the brain and in the nervous system. Specifically, it minimizes the neuroinflammation, and it has been found to be the vital cause of the development of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Thus, consuming cacao or dark chocolate can help you lessen the risk of neurological disease.
Photo credits: Parkinson's disease
Photo credits: Alzheimer's disease
Improves Vision
The flavonoids cannot also help you reduce the risk of neurological disease but it will also help you improve the blood flows to the brain or all over your body. Moreover, it will enhance the eyesight. But still, it is best for you to go to a ophthalmologist to check your vision.
Photo credits: multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com
Dark Chocolate Boosts Your Immune System
Antioxidants together with some nutrients in dark chocolate can treat the immune system. The main ingredient of dark chocolate which is the cocoa can regulate the inflammatory response in the immune system. Inflammation is the tissue's response to pathogens, chemicals, wounding, or infections. With the help of flavonoids, it predominantly corresponds with anti-inflammatory properties and the chocolate that is filled with it. The beneficial effect of cocoa on definite cells that produce antibodies that will help the body fight the bacteria and diseases. Cocoa also has an excellent effect on the lymphoid tissues. The lymphoid organs succor to coordinate the immune response in the human body, and it will produce cells more effectively that leads to a greater defense against diseases.
Mood booster and prevention to depression
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Contents of dark chocolate aid to help the production of endorphins which are produced by the cells of the brains and are well known to diminish the mood, it also stimulates the brain cells and is known to have a relaxing mind. The two fatty acids on dark chocolate which are palmitic and stearic acids can boost your mood and eventually will make you happy. These fatty acids encourage the neural activity of the regions in the brain related to gratification and reward. But the effects of the mood may be due to the cocoa's flavonols, the tryptophan to its natural mood stabilizer serotonin and its caffeine content or merely the sensory pleasure of eating the chocolate. Furthermore, eating or drinking high-polyphenol cocoa may improve calmness and contentment.
Theobromine can be found in dark chocolate. Theobromine is structurally similar to caffeine, and its sister chemical. When it is consumed in a massive amount, it can cause a dip blood pressure, excitement and gives energy. The energy can lead by a crash, followed to some critics to tout chocolate as a precariously addictive substance. Another content can be found in dark chocolate is anandamide. It is structurally akin to THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol, but it is nowhere near as effectual. Regardless of this, anandamide can still contribute a mood and energy boost without the addiction and the damage to cardiovascular health that will come the first with the other encouraging substance.
In addition to the mood-boosting chemical in dark chocolate is phenethylamine, is metabolized in the body to serotonin. Serotonin is one of the notable mood-regulating chemicals in the body can produce.
Photo credits: thenaturalpathnewsletter.com
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Help the pregnant women
Some studies show that chocolate can improves fetal growth. There are pregnant women may be at risk for preeclampsia, it is when the blood supply to the fetus in the womb is cut off. This sometimes happens to a pregnant woman sue to HBP or high blood pressure during her pregnancy. A help of dark chocolate can lessen the risk of having a high blood pressure that could lead to a pregnant woman to preeclampsia.
Photo credits: Preeclampsia
Bottom Line
The main ingredient of dark chocolate which is cocoa can furnish these amazing benefits undeniably to our health. Therefore, this doesn't mean that we devour 1 dark chocolate bar every single day but at least 1-2 small quantity of dark chocolate, a day will do.
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