Chocolate a health benefit??

R

RTKV

New member
So Im curious as to what everyone thinks about this...

Compiled studies find:

• eating chocolate releases endorphins in the brain, which act as pain-relievers,

• eating chocolate boosts one's appetite, but does not cause weight gain,

• the sugar in chocolate may reduce stress and have a calming and pain relieving effect,

• eating chocolate does not give someone acne or other skin eruptions,

• eating chocolate does not trigger migraine headaches,

• eating moderate amounts of chocolate makes one live almost a year longer,

• eating chocolate reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer


So what do you think? Is eating chocolate good or bad?
 
Just to add to the list.


Meta-analysis boosts cocoas blood pressure lowering effects


Chocolate Toothpaste? Extract Of Tasty Treat Could Fight Tooth Decay

Then lets not forget dark chocolates decent catechins (flavanol monomers) levels.

HOWEVER
These only hold true if its PURE chocolate. Meaning no added ingredients other then that which is truly needed in the product.
 
High quality 70%+ cocoa dark chocolate has a number of phytonutrients and isn't too bad in the fiber department. It's not a miracle food and I should point out that the listed benefits aren't an excuse to eat that snickers or nestle crunch bar.
 
It's not a miracle food and I should point out that the listed benefits aren't an excuse to eat that snickers or nestle crunch bar.
Click to expand...

I think this is one point that should be more stressed! The general population would use it as an excuse, kind of like, "Hey, at least Im out getting excersize, even if it is to Dairy Queen and back... and my Chocolate extreme blizzard is dairy! No Osteoporosis!"
 
I eat two bite size pieces of Hershey's dark chocolate with almonds a day. For a 110 calories, I get my chocolate cravings satisified and some benefit from the chocolate and almonds.

It's a minor indulgence. :)

-Charles
 
I'm not big on chocolate, (unless it's a girl thing), but I just tried the new Antioxidant chocolates from Hersheys and even though I don't really like dark chocolate, I am starting to aquire a taste for it. I wish I could find the milk chocolate version of it. The store I went to only had dark.
 
The more the chocolate is processed, the fewer health benefits remain in the finished product. This is why raw cacao products have become so popular. However, many health benefits remain in non-raw dark chocolate, provided there aren't too many added unhealthful ingredients like high fructose corn syrup.

High in Antioxidants: Cocoa contains flavanols, a type of flavanoid that is only found in cocoa and chocolate. Flavanoids are naturally-occurring compounds that occur in plant foods that act as antioxidants and help counteract free radicals in the body.


Blood Pressure Benefits :Dark chocolate has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure in people with elevated blood pressure.

Lower LDL Cholesterol: Eating dark chocolate on a regular basis has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as 10 percent.


Natural Anti-Depressant: Chocolate contains serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. Chocolate also stimulates endorphin production, which creates feelings of happiness and pleasure. In fact, one study found that melting chocolate in the mouth produced feelings of pleasure longer than passionate kissing. This may explain why many people naturally reach for chocolate when they're depressed.

Cancer Fighter: Several studies have found chocolate to be one of the best cancer-fighting foods along with foods like red wine, blueberries, garlic, and tea. Two ways that chocolate works as a cancer fighter is by inhibiting cell division and reducing inflammation, though research is ongoing and will probably find additional ways in which chocolate fights cancer.


Prevents Tooth Decay :Research has found that the theobromine in chocolate prevents tooth decay by eliminating streptococcus mutans, a bacteria found in the oral cavity that contributes to tooth decay.

Longer Life and Less Disease: One Dutch study followed 200 men over 20 years and found that those who consumed large amounts of chocolate, both milk chocolate and dark, lived longer and had lower overall disease rates than men who ate little or no chocolate.

A Harvard study on the Kuna tribe of Panama resulted in similar findings. The Kuna consumed large amounts of raw cacao every day and the study found them to have lower overall disease rates and longer life expectancy than neighboring tribes who did not consume as much raw cacao.

To further strengthen the case for dark chocolate as a life extender, the world's longest-lived person, Jeanne Louise Calment, lived to the age of 122 and many ascribed her longevity in part to her consumption of 2.5 pounds of dark chocolate a week.


High in Magnesium: Cacao is higher in magnesium than any other plant. Magnesium is an important mineral that helps in the regulation of the digestive, neurological, and cardiovascular systems. Since many people are magnesium deficient, adding magnesium-rich dark chocolate to the diet can improve overall health.

Artery Cleanup: Studies have shown that the antioxidants in cacao work like brooms in sweeping plaque out of the arteries.


Brain Health: Many studies have shown that dark chocolate is good for the brain. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that it can protect the brain after a stroke by shielding the nerve cells from further damage. Dark chocolate has also been found to improve memory. Researchers at California's Salk Institute found that a chemical in chocolate called epicatechin improved the memory of mice.

So, this Halloween, while everyone else is gorging on unhealthy candy, grab yourself a bar of dark chocolate or, even better, some raw cacao, and give your body and brain a boost. If you make it a regular habit, you might just extend your life and be able to enjoy that longer life with less disease than your non-chocolate-eating peers.
 
This is great and I think you are right. I have been enjoying a chocolate every day for the past few years (quite a few) and certainly have not picked up weight because of this. I am 53 and have a normal body mass. :) Wonderful for all the chocolate lovers, indeed.
 
Chocolate Ha ! :)


Certainly not a > super food < regardless of what positive aspects have been gleaned, from hundreds of studies done on it, might suggest. IMPO, it is simply because of the fact that most people like the taste of chocolate, that it has been tested for a thousand different things, and if 6 of them turn out to be positive, the researchers say, "Look ! Chocolate is good for you" !

Whatever.

You want to eat something good for you ? Try Blueberries. Almonds. Salmon. Avocados. These are "real" super foods.


Okay, coco in a reasonable amount, might not be too bad.


My problem (and I suspect I'm not the only one) is that I used to eat WAAY too much chocolate, and it was all milk chocolate..... like in Cadbury Creme (sugar) filled eggs, or King size Milky Ways, or 4 pks of Reeses PB cups, etc, etc, etc.


But that was in my old life.


I have added chocolate to my list of "crack rock" foods, that I don't / wont ever eat any of, whatsoever. The only chocolate I have had in 3 years, is the coating on some of my Power Bars, or Cliff Bars, and I can only justify those, because of the 20-30 gm's of protein.


Honestly, I enjoy my healthy foods so much, I don't even miss chocolate, cheesecake, fried foods, fast foods, processed crap, etc, etc, etc.


My new "candy" is some kind of chilled fruit.... melons, cherries, strawberries, etc.


I walk right past the candy isle and I couldn't care less. Funny thing is, I get to the fruit isle, and I have to use ALL of my will power not to buy another melon, even though I have 2 at home in the fridge, or that 2 lb tub of Blueberries, even though I still have strawberries !


Peace,

Fish


PS, Researchers do the same kind of misleading study's about alcohol, telling you why some certain "small" amount is actually good for you. Again, this is only because most of the researchers, and the people reading their studies, enjoy that BS drug. The truth is, alcohol destroys far more lives than it helps. But because it is socially acceptable, people don't want to hear that.


Okay, if all of the thousands of people addicted to, and dying from alcoholism, were instead drinking 1 glass of red wine a day, sure, maybe then it would be a benefit, instead of a terrible detriment. Unfortunately, that is not the case.


Same with chocolate > If all of the people dying of obesity related issues / diabetes, etc, were eating one small piece of dark chocolate every day, instead of pigging out on 2, or 4, or more, king sized milk chocolate candy bars, maybe that would be good too. But that simply is not the case. I'm quite sure, given the obesity epidemic of this country, that chocolate is hurting more people than it helping.
 
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