Dark chocolate contains many nutrients that have a positive impact on your health.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which is the best source of antioxidants on the planet.

Many studies show that sugar-free chocolate can improve optimal health and reduce the risk of heart disease effectively.

1. Very Nutritious Chocolate

If you buy good quality chocolate with high cocoa content, it is really nutritious.

It contains a large amount of soluble fiber and many minerals.

A 100 gram black chocolate bar has 70-85% cocoa containing:

  • 11 grams of fiber.
  • 67% iron.
  • 58% magnesium.
  • 89% copper.
  • 98% manganese.
  • It also contains lots of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium.

Of course, 100gam is quite a large amount, so you should not consume it daily. 100gam of chocolate will provide 600kalo and a relative amount of sugar.

For this reason, you should only eat dark chocolate with moderate amounts.

Fatty acids in cocoa and dark chocolate are excellent. They are mainly saturated and monounsaturated fats, only a small amount is polyunsaturated.

It also contains stimulants such as caffeine and theobromine, but the amount of caffeine is very small, so you won't lose sleep at night.

Summary: Good quality dark chocolate is rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and many other minerals.

2. Black Chocolate Rich in Antioxidant

Have you ever heard of ORAC method?

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity - Oxygen Absorbing Capacity. This is the antioxidant feature of food.

Basically, researchers have found many free radicals (bad) in a food sample, and the antioxidants in food are the solution to eliminate them.

The data related to this problem are done in vitro, so there may not be the same effect in the human body.

However, unprocessed raw cocoa beans are one of the foods to be tested for the best test results.

Dark chocolate contains organic compounds that have biological activity and function as antioxidants. They include polyphenols, flavols, catechins and many other substances.

One study found that cocoa and dark chocolate contain many effective antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavanol. They are more active than the antioxidants found in fruits like blueberries and acai fruits.

Summary: Cocoa and dark chocolate have more antioxidants than many other foods.

3. Dark Chocolate Can Improve Blood Amount And Lower Blood Pressure

Flavanol in dark chocolate can stimulate the endothelial cells, mucosa 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, reducing resistance to blood flow and thereby reducing blood pressure.

There are many studies that show that cocoa and dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure but this effect is not strong.

Many studies in people with high blood pressure have also shown that they do not work, the use of chocolate is just like salt left unmodified.

Summary: Biologically active compounds in cocoa can improve blood flow in arteries and reduce blood pressure slightly.

4. Black Chocolate Increases HDL And Protects Anti-Oxidant LDL

Consumption of dark chocolate may improve some important risk factors for heart disease.

In a controlled trial, cocoa powder has been shown to significantly reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol in men.

It also increases HDL and lowers total LDL in people with high cholesterol.

Oxidized LDL means that LDL ("bad" cholesterol) reacts with free radicals.

This makes LDL particles self-reacting and potentially damaging other tissues, such as the lining of the arteries in your heart.

This suggests that cocoa reduces oxidative LDL. It contains a lot of powerful antioxidants that enter the bloodstream and protect the lipoprotein against oxidative damage.

Dark chocolate can also reduce insulin resistance, a common risk factor for many diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Summary: Dark chocolate improves some important risk factors for disease. It reduces the sensitivity of LDL to oxidative damage while increasing HDL and improving insulin sensitivity .

5. Black Chocolate Can Reduce The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

Compounds in dark chocolate have been shown to protect against oxidation of LDL.

In the long run, this will help reduce arterial cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease in the long run.

Some long-term studies also show this great benefit. In a study of 470 older men, cocoa was discovered that could reduce the risk of cardiovascular death by more than 50% over a 15-year period.

Another study found that eating chocolate twice or several times a week reduced the risk of calcification plaque in the arteries by 32%. Eating irregular chocolates will not work.

Another study also found that eating chocolate more than 5 times per week also reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 57%.

Chocolate is good, but you should not overdo it or eat too much at once. You should eat in moderate amounts.

Summary: controlled studies have shown a decline in the risk of heart disease for people who regularly eat chocolate.

6. Black Chocolate Can Protect Your Skin Under The Sun.

The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate can be great for your skin.

The flavonol can protect against sun damage, improve blood flow to the skin, increase skin density and hydration.

If you are planning to go to the beach, you might consider eating dark chocolate in the previous few weeks or months.

Summary: Studies show that flavanol in cocoa can improve blood flow to the skin and protect it against sun damage.

7. Black Chocolate Can Improve Brain Function

In addition to the above benefits, dark chocolate can also improve brain function.

A study by a healthy group of volunteers showed that 5 days of high consumption of cocoa with high flavanol content would help improve blood flow to the brain.

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

Cocoa also contains stimulants such as caffeine and theobromine, and this is the main reason cocoa can improve brain function in the short term.

Message To You

There is much evidence to prove the health benefits that cocoa can bring, especially the benefits of protecting against cardiovascular disease.

Although dark chocolate is good, you should not eat it every day, because dark chocolate has a high caloric content. You should only eat a small triangular piece each evening.

You have to keep in mind that there are many types of poor quality chocolates on the market today. Therefore, you need to carefully choose the good quality, and have more than 70% of the content is cocoa.

Dark chocolate types often contain some sugar, but this amount is very small.

I hope you will know how to choose the best quality chocolates and get the most optimal health benefits from it.