Health Benefits of Chocolate

Chocolate is sweet, delicious and a staple snack and dessert food. It's not exactly what many would consider a health food. However, recent studies of dark chocolate have founds that it does have some health benefits. That's good news for chocoholics and anyone who gets chocolate cravings.

Antioxidants

Dark chocolate and cocoa have antioxidant flavonoids called flavanols. These help to combat oxidative damage caused by free radicals, which can affect DNA strands as well as cells.

Cardiovascular Health

The flavanols in chocolate also help to increase the nitric oxide content in the body. This helps to lower blood pressure and to promote good cardiovascular health.

Blood Flow

Small amounts of chocolate have also been known to help increase blood flow throughout the body. It does this by preventing platelets from sticking to each other, which also helps to prevent blood clotting.

Alertness

Chocolate has been found to make people who eat it more alert. This is because of the levels of theobromine, caffeine, tyramine and phenylethylamine, all natural stimulants.

Relaxation

Chocolate has a compound in it called anandamide. This helps to promote a feeling of relaxation in those who consume small amounts of chocolate.