Dark Chocolate Helps Us Age Gracefully
Dark chocolate is defined as chocolate with at least 50 – 85% pure cacao. Because it has 3 beneficial anti-oxidants: Flavonoids, Procyanidins, and Epicatechin, Dark chocolate is very beneficial for our health. These anti-oxidants neutralize something called free radicals in your blood. Free radicals are oxygen molecules that have split in such a way that causes unpaired electrons (normal oxygen molecules have paired electrons). Oxygen molecules with single electrons occur in your body when you are exposed to pollution, processed foods, or too much sun. As these free electrons or free radicals attempt to pair up with other molecules in your system (electrons want to pair up), they cause damage to cells, proteins and DNA in our bodies. Anti-oxidants are important as they seek out and pair with these unpaired electrons, thus preventing damage from occurring from free radicals.
Milk Chocolate Doesn’t Work Like Dark Chocolate
Milk chocolate contains lower amounts of cocoa beans than dark chocolate, so it has lower levels of anti-oxidants. Unfortunately, anti-oxidants like flavonoids bind to the milk in milk chocolate, and this reduces their effectiveness as an anti-oxidant in the blood. So milk chocolate does not offer the health benefits of dark chocolate. In fact, drinking milk with dark chocolate will significantly reduce the effectiveness of the dark chocolate’s anti-oxidants.
6 Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
- Prevents Heart Disease
Dark chocolate’s anti-oxidants and fatty acids prevent LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol from being oxidized into your blood stream, lowering your overall LDL cholesterol. Lower LDL cholesterol is associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease. Many studies have also reported that dark chocolate raised concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which is generally regarded as beneficial for heart and artery health. Read more here: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16774-heart-healthy-benefits-of-chocolate
- Lower Blood Pressure
A Harvard study reviewed 24 different chocolate studies involving 1,106 people and concluded that dark chocolate of 50 – 70 percent cocoa lowered the blood pressure in all participants. Read more here: https://www.aarp.org/health/medical-research/info-03-2011/dark-chocolate-can-help-lower-your-blood-pressure.html
- Increased Brain Health
High-levels of flavanols in dark chocolate can lead to an increased blow flow to the brain, and can possibly improve cognitive abilities – helping stave off or lessen the effects of progressive diseases such as Alzheimer’s and general dementia. A published study in 2014 showed that dietary flavanols improved test taking time and scores, improved verbal fluency scores, decreased insulin resistance, blood pressure, and lipid peroxidation of elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment. Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22892813
- Reduces Risk of Skin Cancer
Flavanols also increase blood flow to the skin. This helps reduce skin cancer in 2 ways. First, better blood flow to the skin protects the body’s epithelial cells of the skin. Epithelial skin cells control secretion, absorption, transcellular transport, sensing and protection. And it is where many skin cancers develop, so keeping it as healthy as possible is a good idea. The second advantage of Flavanols is they help slow the natural process of skin thinning that goes on as we age. Higher blood flow keeps the skin healthier and thicker longer, boosting our natural defenses and reduces sun damage that has already occurred.
- Stress Relief
Chocolate contains magnesium, which is believed to be responsible for our craving. Magnesium reduces stress in many ways. It helps us relax by suppressing the release of cortisol – the stress hormone. This effect is more pronounced in seniors. Magnesium also has shown to improve memory, concentration, mood, and sleep.
- Mood Enhancer
Yes, many of us love the taste of all things chocolate, and that in itself makes us feel better when we are eating it. But chocolate has a special chemical compound called phenylethylamine that increases the secretion
of endorphins. Endorphins are hormones that activate opiate receptors in our brain and nervous system, generating an uplifting, positive feeling.
Americans Love Chocolate
The average American consumes something like 12 lbs. of chocolate each year. But to get the health effects listed above, you should concentrate on eating Dark Chocolate with the highest cocoa content. I find that cocoa concentrations of 70 – 75% is still tasty and offers substantial benefits.
Moderation Is Key
You shouldn’t go crazy either as even dark chocolate contains substantial calories. Some studies have shown that chocolate can help with weight loss but loading up on any chocolate would be counterproductive due to the high calories. Most experts recommend something like 7 ounces per week. So consuming a single 1 ounce serving every day would be optimum. If you like to eat more chocolate at once, then shoot for larger servings 2 – 3 times per week.
There are really no other dietary alternatives to get this level of special flavonoids into your system, so you should include incorporate delicious dark chocolate into your weekly diet. Do it for the taste, or do it for the 6 benefits listed above.
