Dark Chocolates Have Health Benefits
If, like me, you are a lover of dark chocolates, there's some good news coming your way. Research has shown that the stuff we love indeed has health benefits. Recently the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm published research which showed that dark chocolate was beneficial to reducing the risk of strokes in women.
We have always known that dark chocolates, consumed of course, in moderate quantities, have cardiovascular benefits. The flavonoids in the dark chocolate act as anti-oxidants. They also help to lower blood pressure and can cut Low Density Cholesterol (LDL), popularly called “bad" cholesterol by as much as 10 %. Dark chocolates also contain serotonin which are known anti-depressants.
The Swedish study indicated that consumption of about two bars per week reduced the risk of strokes in women by 20 %. It showed an association between chocolates and reduced stroke risk, not necessarily a cause- and effect relationship.
However, it is emphasized that these findings must be seen in a certain context. It is clear that eating dark chocolate add calories and too much of that is not good news. So then, how much is too much? Experts have opined that three ounces of dark chocolate per day is about the limit.
As they say, anything within moderation is fine and this holds good for dark chocolate as well. Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist puts things in perspective by saying “These findings don't mean that people need to exchange chocolate for broccoli in their diet.”
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