Health Benefits of Chocolate Which you Need to Know

 Health Benefits of Chocolate 🍫

Who doesn’t love chocolates, right? So what if this favourite candy of ours boosts our health? It would be the best thing in the world everrrrrrrrrrr 😍
But do all chocolates help us? Keep reading to find out the amazing health benefits of chocolate.

Dark, milk or normal Chocolates?

All kinds of chocolates don’t have the same effects. Research has recognized dark chocolate as a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals and molecules that can complicate the immune system. However milk chocolate unlike dark chocolate contains less of the original cocoa bean used to make chocolate as it’s often diluted with milk solids, sugar and cream, reports FitnessMagazine.com.

The more cocoa content in a chocolate means more flavonoids and the healthier it is for you to consume. When choosing a dark chocolate bar, make sure it indicates at least 65 percent cacao to optimize its health benefits.

For those of you who don’t know the difference between Cacao and Cocoa, Raw cacao is made by cold-pressing un-roasted cacao beans. Cocoa looks the same but it’s not. In short, cocoa powder is raw cacao that’s been roasted at quite high temperatures.

You can now indulge in the taste of the dark chocolate as it melts in your mouth. But for those of you who don’t like dark chocolate, I know this is heartbreaking 🙁

How cacao helps us

1.  Cancer

Pentamer ( a polymer consisting of 5 monomer units), a compound found in cocoa, has been shown to help prevent the ability of cancer cells to spread throughout the body. In a study, the researchers used the chocolate’s anti-cancer properties to conduct lab experiments in breast cancer cell cultures and compared the “chocolate treatment” to standard treatment on normal breast cells. The results of the study showed that breast cancer cells stopped spreading when they were treated with pentamer, which acts as a deactivator. Therefore, it stops the proteins that generally push the cancer cells to spread. Although the test was done on breast cancer cells, researchers suspect that cocoa has the same effect on other cancers.

2. Dementia

Two cups of everyone’s favourite, hot chocolate can improve mental agility in the elderly. In a study published in Neurology, researchers found hot cocoa, packed with flavanols, could improve brain blood flow and enhance cognitive function in the elderly. However, in the results of the study, the subjects who did not have bad blood flow did not experience a boost in their mental speed. The researchers are still doubtful as to whether the other ingredients in hot cocoa have the ability to fight dementia or if the low flavanol levels suffice.

3. Diabetes

Flavonoids in dark chocolate can not only lower your blood pressure and cholesterol but also improve the way your body processes sugar i.e it is a protective factor from diabetes. Moderate consumption of dark chocolate for diabetes speeds up sugar processes in the body.

4. Heart Disease

Chocolate consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease due to the many properties of flavonoids. Chocolate can prevent blood clots from forming. Consequently, dark chocolate can reduce platelet activation.

5. Common Cold

Cocoa contains a chemical called theobromine that helps the body fight off the symptoms of the common cold, cocoa chemical blocks the action of sensory nerves in those with a cold as concluded from a study.The cough reflex in a common cold can be stopped by blocking the sensory nerves. Researchers of a study found the chocolate chemical to be more effective than codeine when treating a chronic cough.
Reference: Medical Daily

Now, you have the best excuses ever, to munch on your favourite Chocolates.

Curious to know the 10 best chocolates in the world? Read below.

Top 10 chocolates of the world:

• Toblerone
• Guylian
• Galaxy
• Cadbury
• Patchi
• Ghirardelli
• Ferrero Rocher
• Lindt & Sprüngli (Lidnt)

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