4 Surprising Benefits Eating Chocolate Has For Your Body

Aug 13, 2018

Have you heard that chocolate is good for you? Yes, it's true, chocolate has gone from having the reputation of a culprit of weight gain and acne to being one of those scientifically-proven wonder foods. However, as with many good things, it comes with stipulations.

You must have a healthy diet, and the chocolate has to be 60 percent cacao. Andy De Santis, a registered dietitian based in Toronto says Chocolate contains compounds in other superfoods like fruits and vegetables. Check out these four ways a little chocolate can be beneficial to your health:

The Heart journal published a study in which 21,000 people in Norfolk, England were studied for 11 years. Results showed that 17.4 percent of them developed cardiovascular disease as opposed to 12 percent who did not. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the non-chocolate eaters also had higher average weight, more diabetes, and more artery-damaging inflammation.

While our bodies need a certain amount of inflammation to help ward off infections, too much leads to health issues like headaches and sore muscles. The flavonoids in chocolate provide antioxidants to combat these issues. They also help promote the growth of good gut bacteria to fight off inflammation in the intestines.

Recent studies have explored the role of chocolate in cognitive function. Dark chocolate containing at least 70 percent cacao and 30 percent cane sugar has been found to have brain health benefits like enhancing neuroplasticity. These studies show that the higher the concentration of cacao, the more cognition, mood, and memory is benefited.

Chocolate does more to make you happy than delight the taste buds. It contains serotonin, that happy mood neurotransmitter our brain makes. It also contains an amino acid called and tryptophan which gives you a cozy feeling that helps you fall asleep. Finally, a chemical called phenylethylamine in chocolate may help you fall in love.

Don't blame your mother for slapping your hand away from the candy section and telling you chocolate makes you gain weight and break out. She didn't know about the kind of chocolate research says is good for you!

What do you think? Have you ever experienced these benefits from eating chocolate? Let us know in the comments, and show this to all the chocolate lovers you know!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!