Ganoderma Guide

Chocolate-- The Newest Health Food?


There are now even more reasons for chocolate lovers to rejoice!
As more amazing research news comes in about chocolate, the
substance is moving from a bad-for-you candy to an important health
food.

Those of us who had always continued to indulge in occasional
chocolate treats can stop feeling guilty and now easily justify our
cravings.
You may have already heard that chocolate contains beneficial
flavonoids and antioxidents. Flavonoids are naturally-occurring
compounds found in plant foods that are full of recognized health
benefits. There are more than 4,000 flavonoid compounds, which are
a subgroup of a large class called polyphenols.

Phenols are
believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease by helping
prevent atherosclerosis. The flavanols in chocolate appear to help
the body use nitric oxide, which is crucial for healthy blood flow
and blood pressure, which means that chocolate might help reduce
hypertension as well.
Red wine is know for its high phenol content, but an average bar
of dark chocolate contains more phenols than 8 ounces of red wine.
Scientists at Cornell University and Seoul National University
examined the cancer-fighting antioxidant content of hot cocoa, red
wine, and tea, and found that cocoa had nearly double the
antioxidants of red wine and four to five times more than tea.


Holland's National Institute of Public Health and Environment
found that dark chocolate contains 53.5 mg of catechins per 100
grams. (Catechins are the powerful antioxidants that fight against
cancer and help prevent heart disease). By contrast, a cup of black
tea contains only about 14 mg of catechins and green tea has about
30 mg of catechins.


A study at University of California Davis found that
participants who ate chocolate showed a reduction in platelet
activity. This means that chocolate has an anti-clotting,
blood-thinning effect that can be compared to aspirin.
A Harvard University study of 8,000, with an average age of 65,
revealed that those who consumed chocolate lived almost a year
longer than those who did not. Those who ate one to three candy
bars per month had a 36 percent lower risk of death (compared to
the people who ate no candy), while those who ate three or more
candy bars per week had a 16 percent lower risk.


A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its
chocolate, showed that those who ate the most chocolate, an
equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day, had lower
blood pressure and a 50 percent lower risk of death. The
researchers also noted the men eating the most cocoa products were
not heavier or bigger eaters than the men who ate less cocoa.
And it's not just dark chocolate that is the only healthy type
of chocolate. Most studies talk about the benefits of dark
chocolate, but some of the most recent news about chocolate
includes good news for milk chocolate lovers, who have been left
out in the past.


The Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia did a study that
shows that milk chocolate seems to boost brainpower. The groups in
the test consumed, on different occasions, milk chocolate, dark
chocolate, carob and nothing. Then they were tested for cognitive
performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and
problem solving.
According to Dr.

Bryan Raudenbush, "Composite scores for verbal
and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than
the other conditions." The study also found that consumption of
milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse
control and reaction time. It seems that by consuming chocolate you
get stimulating effects from substances found in chocolate, such as
theobromine and phenylethylamine, which then lead to increased
mental performance.
Chocolate really does make you feel good, too.

It is known to
stimulate the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable
sensation similar to the "runner's high" a jogger feels after
running several miles. Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter,
serotonin that acts as an anti-depressant. Studies in England show
that even the aroma of chocolate gives a bout of euphoria and will
help lift the spirits.
And now people are looking at chocolate for skin care.

According
to Marlies Spinale, director of Tru Spa, "Like many other
antioxidants, cocoa polyphenols are thought to offer the skin
protection from free-radical damage caused by sun, pollution,
stress, alcohol consumption and other factors. I believe that we
will hear more about the benefits of chocolate in skin care."
Some people have been avoiding chocolate because one of the main
ingredients of chocolate is cocoa butter. It was thought that it
was an unhealthy fat, but actually cocoa butter is not unhealthy.


It is made up of the beneficial fatty acids-- oleic acid (a
heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic
and palmitic acids. Stearic and palmitic acids are healthy forms of
saturated fat. Plus chocolate contains vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E,
as well as potassium, sodium, and iron.
So go ahead and indulge in a little chocolate, in moderation of
course.

I would recommend that you try to find organic chocolate,
and stick with darker chocolate because it has more chocolate
flavonoids and less sugar. (Sugar weakens the immune system; so
don't consume sugar if you are ill.) And a little bit of milk
chocolate is alright when you need an occasional milk chocolate
brainpower boost, such as before a test. All you students take
note!
Chocolate as a health food-- can life get any better?
By Dianne Ronnow, © 2006 Mohave Publishing.


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