Health Benefits Of Dark Chocolate

Health Benefits Of Dark Chocolate - There are only a few things better or more delicious than a bar of chocolate. There is always a flavor for you be it bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, white or dark chocolate. Weight loss enthusiasts sometimes cast chocolate as an enabler of obesity.

This is not entirely true as there are advantages to consuming chocolate. It relieves stress, elevates the mood, improves skin tone and more. It is sometimes referred to as the food of the gods.

Now let us take a look at some of the health benefits of dark chocolate:

Dark chocolate contains a good amount of cocoa which helps reduce stress and enhances your mood. In addition to that, its pleasant smell and extraordinary taste gives a feelgood feeling. It does this by activating the production of endorphins in the brain.

Consumption of a moderate quantity of dark chocolate on a regular basis helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol, risk of stroke and heart disease. It helps in reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol), also known as bad cholesterol, and improves high-density lipoproteins (HDL cholesterol), the good cholesterol.

Actually black chocolate is very good for the skin. It contains antioxidants like flavonoids which offer protection against ultraviolet damage from the sun. You should know that sweet or milk chocolates are not as effective as a sunscreen. Chocolate consumption reduces stress hormones causing less collagen breakdown in the skin. This drastically reduces the rate at which the skin wrinkles. It also improves skin hydration and thickness, helping the skin retain that youthful glow.

Pregnancy is a very important and most delicate period in a woman’s life. The woman is, at the time, a human incubator for the growth of another human before it is birthed. Chocolate consumption plays a large role in the prevention of pra-eclampsia, that is, a premature birth which is generally caused by high blood pressure. It contains antioxidants that improve immunity and improve the skin. It is also belivied that women who regularly consume dark chocolate give birth to healthier and happiers babies. However, care has to be taken as to the amount consumed as it contains caffeine.

Dark chocolate contains cocoa which itself contains theobromine and polyphenols, important nutrients in the regulation of blood  circulation. This extends to high blood pressure as chocolate consumption helps control blood pressure. It does this by improving HDL (good cholesterol) and lowering LDL (bad cholesterol, which in turn imporves blood flow throughout the body.