Proven Benefits Of Dark Chocolate

Author: Dean Rouseberg Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Dark chocolate is one of the foods with the most powerful antioxidant properties

Dark chocolate is one of the foods that contains a wide range of nutrients that are very good for health. Made from cocoa beans, dark chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants. Many studies confirm that dark chocolate (not sugar-treated milk chocolate) can improve your health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Dark chocolate is a food with a high nutrient density . If you find high-quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content - 70-80%, then 100 g of product contains the following nutrients:

- About 11 g of fiber
- 67% of daily needs for iron
- 58% of daily needs for magnesium
- 89% of daily needs for copper
- 98% of daily needs for manganese
- Also high amounts of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium

Of course, 100 grams of dark chocolate a day is a relatively large amount and is not a food that can be consumed daily. In these 100 g of chocolate there is about 600 calories along with a moderate amount of sugar. For this reason, dark chocolate should be consumed carefully

One of the foods containing the most antioxidants . One of the many studies on dark chocolate says that cocoa and chocolate have more antioxidant activity, polyphenols and flavonoids than all other fresh fruits such as blueberries, acai and other foods known as antioxidants.

Dark chocolate improves the rheological (fluidity) properties of the blood and lowers blood pressure. The flavonoids in dark chocolate tone the walls of blood vessels and stimulate them to produce nitric oxide, which has a vasodilating effect. It sends signals to the blood vessels and makes them relax. This reduces the pressure that the blood puts on them.

Dark chocolate affects cholesterol levels - increases good (HDL) and lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol. For this reason, regular consumption of dark chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease. There is evidence that LDL-cholesterol reacts with free radicals, which makes bad cholesterol reactive, and this is a prerequisite for damage to blood vessels. The antioxidant properties of dark chocolate fit perfectly in such circumstances. Like any food, however, dark chocolate should not be overdone.

Proven Benefits Of Dark Chocolate

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