Dark Chocolate Benefits

Dark chocolate is a healthy food as long as it is consumed with some precautions. Dark chocolate has 65 per cent more cocoa content than other chocolates. This is what makes it stand out in the crowded chocolate world.

If you are choosing dark chocolate for health reasons then make sure it does not have much content of caramel or any other sugary fillings. The less the additives better it would be. On the other hand, nuts, rum and orange peels are healthy fillings that go well with dark chocolates.

Serotonin and dopamine are the chemicals which govern the moods. The content of monoamine oxidize inhibitors (MAO inhibitors) in cocoa maintain amounts of serotonin and dopamine for a longer period to time and delay their oxidation. With these chemicals flowing freely in the blood steam without oxidation the mood remains elevated.

Dark chocolate is found to be helpful in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The cells are unable to absorb sugar because of resistance towards the insulin. Hence, the sugar levels in blood rise considerably. The antioxidants, flavanoids, present in dark chocolate have ability to reduce the insulin sensitivity of the cells.

The flavanol content is helpful in fighting wrinkles that may occur because of UV light exposure. Scientists have performed experiments on women who were asked to drink the raw chocolate beverage and concluded that the antioxidants help in fighting the ageing process.

Likewise, the polyphenol content helps dealing with blood pressure. It may reduce both night time and day time blood pressure. It acts as a blood thinner and so is helpful in reducing cholesterol levels.

Dark chocolate remains as one of the favorite aphrodisiacs. It works better for women than men. According to a study women who consumed a small piece of chocolate everyday reported a much higher libido than women who do not eat at all.

Dark chocolate is also known to perform as an anti-depressant. It is more popular with women than men. The cocoa is consumed as a warm beverage during menstruation to help relieve pain and cramps.

But nutritionist do suggest that eating too much of dark chocolate may increase risk of obesity. It may even aggravate symptoms of PMS patients if  it contains less cocoa content and ore of milk and sugary fillings.