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Chocolate Health Benefits: |
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Researchers have some great news for chocolate lovers: it may be good for you. Scientists have reported preliminary evidence recently that cocoa and other chocolates may help keep high blood pressure down, your blood circulating better and your heart healthy.
The research, the latest states there is a connection between eating flavonoid-rich foods and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease(1), was presented in February 2007 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston.
One study found that a substance in cocoa helps the body process nitric oxide (NO), a compound critical for healthy blood circulation and blood pressure. Another study found that flavonols in cocoa prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidizing and clogging the arteries, and make blood platelets less likely to stick together and cause clots. Flavonoids are plant compounds with potent antioxidant properties; so far, scientists have found more than 4,000 kinds. Cocoa beans contain large quantities of flavonoids, and so do red wine, tea, cranberries, peanuts, strawberries, apples and many other fruits and vegetables. The flavonoids in chocolate are called flavonols.
Chocolate contains a lot of chemicals that brighten and enhance your mood, including anadamine, which targets the same receptors as THC, and phenylethylamine, which produces a wonderful, euphoric feeling.
So EAT UP! -- CHOCOLATE is GOOD for you...but you didn't need an excuse... |
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