5 More Good Reasons to Eat Some Chocolate

by WiredBerries Editors — October 9, 2007

Recent nutritional research has identified several key health benefits of chocolate. Chocolate does contain sugar and fat, so it's obviously not a replacement for whole grains and vegetables. Even so, pure dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids has some surprisingly potent health benefits. After all, not many deserts can do all this:

• Improves blood flow to the brain--a University of Nottingham study found that drinking cocoa drinks rich in flavanols improves blood flow to key areas of the brain for up to 2 to 3 hours. Flavanols in the cocoa drink are a key ingredient of dark chocolate. The study also suggested that cocoa flavanols in chocolate may enhance brain function to help fight sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the effects of ageing.
• Reduce high blood pressure--the flavonoids in cocoa have been found to help balance out blood pressure and reduce clotting. Researchers from Germany's University Hospital of Cologne found that cocoa consumption lowered blood pressure by an average of 4.7/2.8 mm Hg. The New York Times reported that dark chocolate is almost as effective at lowering blood pressure as the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive drugs.
• Boosts mood--MSNBC reported that some of the chemicals in dark chocolate can improve your mood and ease premenstrual symptoms.
• Prevents cell damage--Pure, dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidant chemicals that help prevent cell damage and improve blood sugar levels to boot.
• Reduces risk of heart attack--a researcher from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine said that eating a few squares of dark chocolate every day may reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack by almost 50%. The study found that blood platelets clotted slower in people who eat chocolate.

No one is saying it's broccoli but chocolate is a bit of both naughty and nice when it comes to your health! As in all things, the key is moderation. But food scientists are coming to a fairly strong consensus that regularly enjoying a small portion of dark chocolate is good for you.