Chocolate, a natural antioxidant, has many physical and mental health benefits, provided you choose it dark.
- Chocolate is a natural antioxidant that helps maintain cardiovascular health.
- It helps fight cognitive decline and maintains morale.
- To obtain the benefits of chocolate, it must be dark, 80% cocoa and more.
Many of us love it and the good news is that it would be good for your health…. It’s chocolate! In a special issue titled “Sugar: how to get it“, 60 million consumers assures that it could be an alternative to sugar. The magazine recommends replacing bad sugar in candies, for example, with two squares of chocolate. But beware, not just any: it must be dark chocolate, 80% cocoa and more, for it to be good for your health.
Chocolate, a natural antioxidant
Pure cocoa is a food very rich in antioxidants. “The cocoa bean contains 8% antioxidants, but the lower the chocolate in cocoa, the lower the amount of antioxidants, can we read on the website of National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). It is therefore necessary to favor “dark” chocolates, with a high cocoa content.”
Dark chocolate is also known to be a good ally for cardiovascular health. It would allow lower blood pressurereduce the risk cerebrovascular accidents (stroke). “Although the benefits of cocoa are little studied, several studies have highlighted the positive effects of chocolate on the cardiovascular level.continues Inserm. For example, moderate chocolate consumption in people who have survived a heart attack has been shown to reduce the risk of death by 70%.”
Chocolate boosts mental health, memory and morale
And the virtues of chocolate do not stop there: it also protects mental health. Indeed, according to a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, a molecule present in cocoa, flavanol, fights against cognitive and memory decline. “If a participant had a memory of a 60-year-old at the start of the test [qui consistait à ce que les participants âgés de 50 à 69 ans boivent, pendant trois mois, une boisson contenant une forte dose de flavanol de cacao (900 mg)], after three months, this same person regained a memory of someone between the ages of 30 and 40“, explained Doctor Scott Small, author of the study.
Finally, chocolate is also good for morale because it contains very important vitamins and minerals, including magnesium which reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue. You will have understood that it is therefore recommended to eat chocolate daily… But be careful, however, not to abuse it: it is recommended not to exceed two squares a day, which represents a little less than 10 grams of chocolate.
