Chocolate is Good for You: 10 Benefits of Eating Chocs
Chocolate lovers will be glad to hear that chocolate is actually good for the body. The tasty treat has plenty of health benefits, some of which are below.
#1: Makes You Live Longer
According to MSN, researchers at Harvard University have found that daily consumption of chocolate can lengthen a person's life span by two years. In fact, Jeanne Louise Calment, who has the longest confirmed human lifespan on record, ate about two and a half pounds of dark chocolate per week and lived to be 122 years old.
#2: Helps You Eat Less
Believe it or not, chocolate, especially the dark variety, can actually curb appetite, reports Bullet Proof. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen also confirm that dark chocolate can really fill the stomach and prevent food cravings, reports MSN.
#3: Gives You a Healthier Heart
A study conducted in Sweden discovered that consuming one or two servings of chocolate every week could significantly decrease the risk of heart failure, reports Women's Health Magazine.
Another study in Germany found that eating around one square of chocolate daily could lower blood pressure. It could also reduce the risk of both heart failure and stroke by 39 percent.
#4: Can Improve the Skin
According to a study conducted in Heinrich Heine University, Germany, chocolate acts like UV filters, which help protect the skin from harmful UV light, reports Best Health. Meanwhile the old wives' tale about chocolate causing acne was busted by researchers in the University of Newcastle, in Australia.
#5: Reduces Stress Levels
According to MSN, eating an ounce and a half of dark chocolocate everyday can help decrease the amount of stress-causing hormones released into the body.
#6: Helps Prevents Diabetes
A study conducted in Italy found that eating a candy bar everyday can significantly reduce a diabetic's insulin resistance. Dr. Claudio Ferri, lead researcher of the study, explains that the flavonoids found in the chocolate help "control insulin sensitivity"
#7: Makes You Smarter
At the University of Nottingham, researchers found that cocoa can increase blood flow to the brain, which can improve its functionality for at least 2-3 hours, notes MSN.
#8: Cough Relief
A study discovered that the chemical theobromine, found in chocolate, can help relieve cough without the usual side effects of cough medicine, like drowsiness, states Women's Health.
#9: Good for Expecting Mothers
According to Best Health, theobromine can also reduce the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women, since it can decrease the risk of high blood pressure by 69 percent.
#10: Helps with PMS
Chocolate can help prevent mood swings due to its high levels of magnesium. It can also help with bloating since magnesium reduces water retention as well.