Chocolate Is Good For Your Heart!
Snacking and do so little for the health! Longer life scientists of at Harvard University in Boston to confirm the health-promoting effects of chocolate on the cardiovascular system. From 1995 to 2004, numerous studies investigated the relationship of chocolate ingredients like cocoa, stearic acid, flavonoids, and the risk to heart disease. These beneficial effects of chocolate could be determined. Especially the flavonoids are responsible for the positive effects. Cocoa is rich in the flavonoids. In addition to the antioxidant effect of flavonoids, the ingredients of chocolate lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, reduce the platelet aggregation (common cause of myocardial infarction), reduce bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol. In addition, hardly evidence of a negative effect of chocolate on the cholesterol levels were. However, the health-promoting benefits mainly in dark chocolate are included.
Dark chocolate contains more cocoa and thus more flavonoids, which is manifested by a higher antioxidant activity. The measurements showed values of 170 mg of Flavanols and Procyanidins per 100 g of dark chocolate.