Sin or super snack? It’s hard to think of another food that has been criticized and hyped like chocolate.
Dieters were especially advised to avoid white chocolate and milk chocolate because of their high fat and sugar content.
However, more and more studies show that dark varieties have a myriad of health benefits.
According to a study published this week, cocoa can lower blood pressure and keep the heart healthy by stretching veins and arteries, thanks to an antioxidant known as flavanols.
Researchers at Sally University have encouraged more people to eat dark chocolate because it’s high in cocoa, but it’s rarely found in the most popular chocolate bars.
You may be surprised to find that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, as it is packed with phenylethylamine, a “drug of love” that boosts sexual desire by increasing the levels of the “happy hormone” endorphins.
And it may also stiffen a man’s erection due to its blood flow-enhancing effect.
Scientists have also shown that regular eating of dark chocolate can improve arousal. The 100g bar contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. It is also associated with making people happy and reducing their risk of depression.
However, the benefits of eating chocolate can only be gained from eating light meals with the more bitter-tasting, cocoa-rich options. And relying on sweet treats for health benefits can lead to weight gain that can offset the health gains.
So is chocolate a sin or a superfood? And what does the study show?
What should a balanced diet look like?
According to NHS, the diet should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables at least 5 times daily.All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables are counted
• A diet based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 pieces of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole grain cereal biscuits, 2 thick slices of whole grain bread, large peeled baked potato
• Have some dairy products or dairy alternatives (such as soy beverages) to choose between low-fat and low-sugar options
• Eat beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 parts of fish each week, one of which must be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume small amounts
• Drink 6-8 glasses / glass of water daily
• Adults should consume less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat (for women) or 30g (for men) per day.
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
It protects the mind
The latest evidence praising the health benefits of dark chocolate is a study from Sally University that has shown that it can lower blood pressure and stretch blood vessels within hours.
It depends on flavanols, an antioxidant found in cocoa, that keep the walls of blood vessels elastic and allow blood to flow more easily through the body.
The researchers recruited 11 adults. They took cocoa capsules or placebo every other day for two weeks. The results showed that blood pressure was low and arteries were loose on the day of flavanol intake.
However, participants in this study were given a super-strong supplement equivalent to 0.5 kg of dark chocolate, which is usually sold in 100 g bars.
Researchers are still convinced that increasing the amount of dark chocolate you eat is beneficial, even if you don’t eat large amounts.
The findings are based on the findings of another team of scientists in Portugal who found that eating dark chocolate daily reduces blood pressure in just one month due to the health benefits of flavanol.
Their findings were based on 30 young adults who ate 20 g of milk or dark chocolate daily for a month.
Those who ate high cocoa chocolate had a 3.5 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure compared to 2.4 mmHg in the low cocoa group. In addition, diastolic blood pressure decreased by 2.3 mmHg and 1.7 mmHg, respectively.
Scientists have also found that in addition to increasing blood pressure and vascular health, it can also lower cholesterol.
A team of researchers in the United States asked 31 people to eat 50g of dark or white chocolate for 15 days. Scientists have found that people who eat dark chocolate have low blood sugar levels and “bad” blood lipids. This may have a knock-on effect that reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
May improve brain health
Dozens of studies have shown that flavanols can also improve brain function because antioxidants promote blood flow.
A 2011 study by a team at the University of Reading showed that just two hours after eating dark chocolate, memory and reaction time improved, but not for those who snacked on white chocolate. ..
Other studies point to longer-term benefits.
In 2014, researchers at Columbia University found that adults in their 50s and 60s who took cocoa supplements for three months performed better on memory tests in people who received low flavanol pills. did. By the end of the study, the authors of the study said their brains were functioning as well as 30 years old.
A 2017 meta-analysis of existing studies on chocolate and brain health, published in the journal Frontiersin Nutrition, found evidence that it improved cerebral blood flow, oxygen levels, and neural function.
Italian researchers who conducted the study say that magnesium in chocolate, like flavanol, may play a role in increasing the supply of oxygen to the brain and reducing the likelihood of brain damage from stroke. ..
Another study, conducted by researchers at the University of Glasgow in 2013, concluded that chocolate increases carbon dioxide levels and improves blood flow and brain cell health. The team’s findings were based on measuring the rate of blood flowing through the largest arteries in the brain while volunteers were eating chocolate.
Also in 2014, a team at Cornell University in New York identified antioxidants in a sweet treat called epicatechin that could protect against amyloid plaques that cause Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders.
It can help you beat the afternoon slump
Chocolate not only promotes long-term heart and brain health, but can also provide short-term benefits by addressing energy levels during the afternoon slump. Snacks contain theobromine, another stimulant in addition to caffeine.
Researchers in the United States recruited more than 100 young adults who ate 1 gram of dark chocolate or placebo for every kilogram of body weight. For example, a person weighing 60 kg (9.5 stones) will be given 60 g. This is a little more than Mars Bar.
A 100g chocolate bar contains about 80mg of caffeine, which is slightly less than a cup of coffee (95mg), and 1,000mg of theobromine, which is about one-third less than a cup of tea (1,600mg).
They then underwent a brain scan while participating in thinking and memory tasks.
The results showed that dark chocolate eaters were more careful and careful than other snack eaters. However, a team at Northern Arizona University pointed out that sweet treats can also raise blood pressure.
Scientists have discovered that flavanols, an antioxidant found in dark chocolate, can help keep your heart healthy by lowering blood pressure.
Not surprisingly, it makes you happy
According to scientists, eating just a few squares of chocolate a day makes people happy.
Last year, a team of Korean scientists conducted what is called the first study to prove that eating chocolate daily has a positive effect on mood.
They recruited about 50 people who ate 30g of 85% or 70% dark chocolate (about one-third of a large bar) or never ate it every day for three weeks. Psychological test results showed that those who ate the darkest choice were the happiest.
Analysis of volunteer fecal samples suggested that chocolate increased microbial diversity in the gut, especially the gut microbiota Blautia. This may be the mechanism behind mood improvement. Gut bacteria produce hundreds of neurochemical substances that the brain uses to regulate mental processes such as mood, memory, and learning.
Another study by a team at University College London suggests that people who eat dark chocolate regularly are less likely to suffer from depression.
They quized 13,000 people in 2019 about chocolate consumption and the symptoms of depression. Those who self-reported that they were eating dark chocolate were less likely to be depressed. However, there was no link between mood and eating white or milk chocolate.
The team said the findings did not prove that chocolate fights depression, but said it contained many psychoactive ingredients, including two forms of anandamine that produce a cannabis-like euphoria. ..
Dark chocolate is also rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation in the body. This is a reaction that some experts believe is related to depression.
Bed trouble? Let’s eat chocolate instead!
Chocolate is an aphrodisiac (a substance that enhances sexual desire) because it contains anandamide, a neurotransmitter that targets the same parts of the brain as cannabis, and phenylethylamine, which is known as a “drug of love.” It is said to work. It mimics the chemistry of a loved one’s brain. These two ingredients release the happy hormone known as endorphins into the body.
However, research has produced contradictory results regarding the link between chocolate consumption and sexual habits.
A study from the University of California last year concluded that people who eat chocolate more often are less interested in sex. Researchers quized 1,000 people about their weekly chocolate intake and sexual attitudes.
However, an early study of 163 women conducted by a team at the University of Vita-Salute San Raffaelle in Italy in 2006 found that those who ate a lot of chocolate had a higher level of sexual desire and joy. I found out that I reported.
However, cocoa also contains methylxanthine, which can make people more lethargic and reduce libido.
Flavonoids, the same blood flow-promoting antioxidants that chocolate means to support heart health, can also lead to better erections.
According to a 2016 survey of 25,000 men published by Harvard University researchers, men who consume foods rich in flavonoids three to four times a week are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction. It was one tenth.
… but downside?
Experts warn that many of the studies citing the benefits of dark chocolate do not apply in the real world because they use cocoa supplements instead of chocolate that people can buy in stores.
This means that people have to eat so much dark chocolate, and gaining some health benefits is offset by extra calories.
Also, relying on dark chocolate for flavanols, which are also found in berries, apples, nuts, and tea, can add weight to snackers.
Overweight or obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, offsetting a slight improvement in heart and brain health.
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