Does this sound like just a chocolate lover's dream to you? In separate and varied research projects, researchers across the world are coming up with surprising results: dark chocolate . . . (specifically with a cocoa content of 60% or more) is consistently proving to contribute to lowering risk of heart disease.
Now it's no secret that many women are openly passionate about enjoying chocolate, but are you surprised that I would mention chocolate and "health" in the same sentence? Let me reassure you . . . recent research reports that the cacoa bean which good chocolate comes from contributes to heart health and is rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants.Dr. David L. Katz, of Yale University School of Medicine reports, "Cocoa is the most concentrated source of bioflavonoid antioxidants readily available in our diets." He adds that these benefits come only from bittersweet dark chocolate and concentrated cocoa beverages. The key here is the effective combination of cocoa's antioxidants and its magnesium, arginine, and fiber. Katz also warns that milk chocolate contains "potentially harmful saturated fats," that the cocoa in some candy bars is "diluted by many other ingredients," and that "cocoa comes in foods that tend to be energy-dense, and the harm of excess calories could readily offset the benefit of antioxidants."
Are you wondering how dark chocolate lowers the risk of heart disease? Here's the 411 - research conducted by Johns Hopkins University reveal that chocolate affects the platelets involved in clotting the blood. That is similar to taking a baby aspirin a day. This study revealed that chocolate eaters' blood clotted more slowly than the blood of participants who had eaten no chocolate. Urine tests of both groups showed a lower level of thromboxane, which is a platelet waste product.
By the way, remember all those reports you've heard concerning the antioxidants in green tea and red wine? Cornell University reports on their latest research in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry their surprising results showing that cocoa has almost twice the amount of antioxidants that red wine contains and up to three times the amount that green tea contains. Lead Cornell researcher, Cornell researchers also advocate drinking cocoa instead of eating chocolate bars because one cup of cocoa has only about 1/3 gram of fat, while a standard 40-gram bar has 8 grams of fat.
Imagine! One of woman's oldest and dearest friends --- the chocolate bar --- turns out to be a contributor to good heart health. Even better, it's the more pure dark chocolates that have even higher levels of flavanoids. In the light of this research, go ahead --- why not indulge yourself and your friends with some heart-healthy chocolate?
Want to read more about being heart healthy? Pick up more tips with this blog and on my Facebook Fan Page. You can get more information at DrEileenSilva.com
Eileen Silva, Ph.D., N.D., C.T.N
You can't be anything outside of yourself greater than you are within.....
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