Proven benefits of chocolate

Chocolate is the ultimate comfort food, a sure-fire stand-by in times of stress, a reliable source of consolation when life has let us down, and a mood-enhancer and romance-inducer in more positive circumstances. But is it at all healthy?
Chocolate is made from tropical Theobroma cacao tree seeds and its earliest use dates back to the Olmec civilization in  .
Studies show that dark chocolate (not the sugary crap) can improve health and lower the risk of heart disease.

1. Very Nutritious: If you buy quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, then it is actually quite nutritious.

It contains a decent amount of soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals.

A 100 gram bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains

• 11 grams of fiber.
• 67% of the RDA for Iron.
• 58% of the RDA for Magnesium.
• 89% of the RDA for Copper.
• 98% of the RDA for Manganese              

·         Of course, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) is a fairly large amount and not something you should be consuming daily. All these nutrients also come with 600 calories and moderate amounts of sugar.

For this reason, dark chocolate is best consumed in moderation.

2. Chocolate makes you eat less?One of my favorite effects of chocolate consumption is a reduction in appetite. One study quantified this by giving participants a 100 g serving of either milk or dark chocolate two hours before being served an all-you-can-eat lunch.[3] Ingestion of dark chocolate was correlated with a 17% lower calorie intake at the following meal, compared to the milk chocolate group. (I’d imagine that it’s because the casein in milk binds to the polyphenols in chocolate, making them unavailable to your body.) The new Bulletproof Chocolate Bars are enriched with another appetite reducer, XCT Oil for a double impact.

3. Chocolate makes your skin glow…and may reduce sunburn: 

Another cool thing chocolate does is help you maintain healthy skin by modulating healthy blood flow. In one study, two groups of women consumed either a high flavanol or low flavanol cocoa powder for a period of 12 weeks. While the low flavanol group showed no change in markers of skin health, subjects in the high flavanol group had on average 25% reduction in UV-induced erythema (sunburn) after exposure to a solar simulator.[16]

Additionally, the high flavanol group recorded increased skin density and thickness, as well as better hydration and less transepidermal water loss.

4. Chocolate Improve Blood Flow and Lower Blood Pressure the flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the endothelium, the lining of arteries, to produce Nitric Oxide (NO), which is a gas

One of the functions of NO is to send signals to the arteries to relax, which lowers resistance to blood flow and therefore reduces blood pressure.

There are many controlled trials showing that cocoa and dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, but the effects are usually mild.

5. Dark Chocolate Improve Brain Function

The good news isn’t over yet. Dark chocolate may also improve the function of the brain.

One study of healthy volunteers showed that 5 days of consuming high-flavanol cocoa improved blood flow to the brain

Cocoa may also significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment. It also improves verbal fluency and several risk factors for disease

Cocoa also contains stimulant substances like caffeine and the bromine, which may be a key reason cocoa can improve brain function in the short term

6. Chocolate help with cramps & PMS

Good news for you! Eating a small amount of high-quality chocolate (typically that which has 65% or more “cacao”) may actually help alleviate cramps and PMS. Why? Chocolate contains magnesium, which can help alleviate cramps and increase energy. It also contains endorphins, or “happy hormones,” which can help improve your mood. Finally, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a positive impact on your health.

 Before you use cramps or PMS as an excuse to over-indulge, please be aware that chocolate is high in fat and calories, so the best way to take advantage of its benefits is to limit yourself to a small amount – a couple of pieces or the equivalent of a quarter of a chocolate bar.