Do you often indulge in dark chocolate? If not, it’s high time you start enjoying this guilt-free treat and reap its health benefits.
Dark chocolate is plentiful in nutrients that come from the cacao tree seed, which is the leading ingredient. It contains antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, and potassium.
When consumed in moderation, this treat benefits the well-being of humans in a number of ways. It fights depression, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, provides antioxidants, improves brain function, protects the skin from UV rays, etc.
Online candy shops, like candycollections.co.uk, offer various dark chocolate bars.
Have a look at the benefits of consuming this treat.
Prevents depression
A crucial health benefit of consuming dark chocolate is preventing depression in consumers. This product has a couple of chemicals responsible for eliminating depressive behaviour. For instance, theobromine, whose structure is similar to caffeine, can reduce blood pressure and provide individuals with the necessary energy.
Another essential chemical found in dark chocolate is anandamide, which resembles THC in structure. In spite of the similarities in structure, anandamide isn’t addictive like THC. Nevertheless, it’s capable of providing a boost in mood and energy without causing any cardiovascular damage.
Additionally, phenethylamine is another mood-boosting component found in this dessert. When it enters the body, phenethylamine metabolizes into serotonin, which is responsible for regulating mood and inducing happiness. When serotonin levels are low, eating dark chocolate can help a person get the levels back to normal. See this article to gain a better understanding of serotonin’s role in depression.
Lowers the risk of heart disease
Another incredible health benefit of eating dark chocolate is the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. Individuals who regularly consume this product are considered less likely to develop cardiovascular disease due to the effect of cocoa on the two risk factors, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
For instance, dark chocolate is boasted to reduce high blood pressure owing to its flavanols. The job of flavanols is to encourage the production of nitric oxide in the body. In turn, nitric oxide is capable of dilating the blood vessels, thus improving blood flow and reducing hypertension. Numerous studies have shown the positive effect of dark chocolate on individuals suffering from hypertension, as long as it contains between fifty and seventy percent of cocoa.
Even though vegetables and fruits are claimed to be rich sources of antioxidants, cocoa beans are considered more copious. Cocoa is actually among the ingredients with the highest concentration of antioxidants and nutrients.
When it comes to cholesterol levels, dark chocolate has an impact on both types of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). People refer to the former as bad cholesterol, while the latter is known as good cholesterol. Nevertheless, dark chocolate is claimed to prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing while increasing the levels of HDL cholesterol.
During the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the low-density lipoprotein becomes reactive, which might lead to atherogenesis. This medical condition causes degeneration of the arteries that might eventually result in cancer. In the meantime, cocoa does its best to improve HDL cholesterol levels as well.
A copious source of antioxidants
Most of the health benefits provided by dark chocolate originate from its high antioxidant levels. It’s an abundant source of antioxidants because of the presence of polyphenols and flavonols, which have such properties. The importance of antioxidants in the human body is tremendous, as they minimize oxidative stress and neutralize free radicals.
Moreover, oxidative stress is caused in the body when the number of free radicals is excessive. They inflict plenty of damage on the tissues and cells in the body, which increases the risk of severe diseases like diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, etc.
During the research, researchers take oxygen radical absorbance capacity into account, referring to the antioxidant activity of foods. It’s the capacity of different ingredients to disarm free radicals with the help of antioxidants. Cocoa beans are definitely among the foods with the highest performance.
Dark chocolate is ample in organic compounds that take the role of antioxidants. Additionally, cocoa has shown greater antioxidant activity in comparison with certain fruits, such as blueberries. Go to this site, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287710#:~:text=Blueberries%20can%20help%20heart%20health,daily%20allowance%20of%20vitamin%20C., to gain insight into the health benefits of blueberries.
Improves brain function
Another health benefit of consuming dark chocolate is improving one’s brain function. High amounts of flavanols are touted to improve blood flow to the brain. As discussed above, flavanols widen the blood vessels and allow more oxygen to reach certain brain areas.
Furthermore, just by eating a few pieces of this product, your brain is provided with a short-term boost that increases alertness for a couple of hours. Also, the improvement of brain function in the short term is helped by the presence of theobromine and caffeine in cocoa.
Protects the skin from the sun
The skin stands to gain from dark chocolate and its bioactive compounds. Flavanols provide protection against sun damage, improve the flow of blood to the skin, and increase its hydration. In the summer days, especially before going on a vacation, you should increase the consumption of dark chocolate. It offers incredible protection against damaging UV rays. Read here about the health effects of UV radiation.
To sum up
This treat is almost guilt-free and super healthy.
Make sure you consume it daily!
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