Eating a large amount of poor quality chocolate is never going to be a good thing for your skin, blood sugar and digestion, however the old adage of “all things in moderation” still applies and as long as you choose a quality chocolate with a high cocoa content, there can be health benefits as well as pleasure. We thought we’d take a look at the benefits of chocolate so that you can still indulge without feeling too guilty!
Antioxidants
Flavenoids are powerful antioxidants which are important for the body and can help to fight viruses, allergies, inflammation and even cancer and recent research has shown that chocolate contains the highest levels of flavonoids of almost any food. Inflammation is a key factor in the appearance of ageing, so eating chocolate can legitimately help you to stay looking younger!
Theobromines
You may be familiar with the word ‘theobromine’ as it’s the part of chocolate which can have dire consequenses for dogs. However, in humans, theobromine can have powerful effects on reversing the effects of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy as it is a strong vasodilator. It’s also been linked with the prevention of birth defects as well as other pregnancy complications.
Depression
Eating chocolate to excess can obviously lead to weight gain, which can be linked with a spike in depressive symptoms. However, eating a small amount of 70% cocoa chocolate can be linked with the reduction of the symptoms of depression. This is because chocoloate stimulates the body to release endorphins, the natural hormones which make humans feel happy, so when you’re having a bad day and reach for a bar of chocolate, it’s your body’s way of trying to make you happy again…in more than one way!
Heart Disease
Dark chocolate, containing 70% cocoa or more, can be a great ally in the fight to stay heart-healthy. The same compounds which help with pre-eclampsia also help to protect the heart by improving blood flow around your most important muscle. The compound responsible is called nitric oxide, however it’s also important to remember that milk can stop it from being absorbed by the gut, so try to avoid a glass of the white stuff with your chocolate treat!
UV protection
Surprisingly, chocolate has also been found to protect the skin. Researchers at a German university found a link between a compound in chocolate and UV rays, and after weeks of research concluded that chocolate eaters had less redness and skin damage after six weeks of ultraviolet light exposure. This doesn’t mean that you can eat a bar of Green and Blacks instead of slathering on sun lotion whilst you’re on holiday though!