flavonoid found

Now there's even more reason for chocolate lovers to rejoice! As more amazing research news comes in chocolate, the substance is moving from a bad-for-you candy to an important health food. Those of us who had always continued to enjoy chocolate candy now and then can stop feeling guilty and now easily justify our desires.

Maybe you have heard that chocolate contains flavonoids and antioxidants. Flavonoids are natural compounds found in plant foods that are full of health benefits recognized. There are over 4,000 flavonoid compounds, which are a subset of a large class called polyphenols. Phenols are believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease, helping to prevent atherosclerosis. The flavonoids in chocolate appear to help the body use nitric oxide, which is crucial for healthy blood flow and blood pressure, which means that chocolate may help reduce hypertension too.

Red wine is know for its high phenol content, but an average bar of dark chocolate contains more phenols than 8 ounces of red wine. Scientists Cornell University and Seoul National University examined the cancer fighting antioxidant content of hot chocolate, red wine and tea, cocoa and found that there were nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and four to five times more than tea.

Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and Environment found that dark chocolate contains 53.5 mg of catechins per 100 grams. (Catechins are powerful antioxidants that fight cancer and help prevent heart disease). By contrast, a cup of black tea contains only 14 mg of catechins and green tea has about 30 mg catechins.

A study University of California at Davis found that participants who ate chocolate showed a reduction in platelet activity. This means that chocolate has an anti-clotting effect of anticoagulant that can be compared to aspirin.

A Harvard University study of 8,000, with an average age of 65, revealed that those who ate chocolate lived almost a year longer than those who did not. Those who ate two fifty-nine chocolate bars a month had a 36 percent risk child death (compared with those who ate no candy), while those who ate three or more bars of chocolate per week had a 16 percent risk.

A study of older men in the Netherlands, known for its chocolate, showed that those who ate more chocolate, the equivalent of third of a chocolate bar every day had lower blood pressure and 50 percent lower risk of death. The researchers also noted that the men eating the most cocoa products were not heavier or bigger consumers than men who ate less cocoa.

And chocolate does not is only dark is the only healthy type of chocolate. Most studies report the benefits of black chocolate, but some of the latest news about chocolate contains good news for lovers of milk chocolate, which have been in the past.

Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia has done a study showing that milk chocolate seems to boost brainpower. The groups in the consumption test on different occasions, chocolate milk, chocolate, black, carob and nothing. They were then tested for cognitive performance including memory, attention, reaction time and problem resolution.

According to Dr. Bryan Raudenbush, "Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than in other conditions. "The study also found that consumption of chocolate milk and black was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time. It seems that chocolate consumption get the stimulating effects of the substances found in chocolate, such as theobromine and phenylethylamine, which then lead to increased mental performance.

Chocolate makes you feel really good, too. Is known to stimulate secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasant sensation similar to high the "corridor Jogger" one feels after running several miles. Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter, serotonin, which acts as an antidepressant. Studies in England show that even the aroma of chocolate gives a fit of euphoria and help lift the spirits.

And now people are looking at the chocolate for skin care. According Marlies Spinale, director of Tru Spa, "Like many other antioxidants, cocoa polyphenols are thought to offer protection from skin damage from free radicals caused by sun, pollution, stress, alcohol consumption and other factors. I think we'll hear more about the benefits of chocolate in the care skin. "

Some people have been avoiding chocolate because one of the main ingredients of chocolate is cocoa butter. He thought it was a fat healthy, but actually the cocoa butter is not healthy. It consists of the beneficial fatty acids - oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic. Stearic and palmitic acids are saturated fat healthy ways. Plus, chocolate contains vitamins A, B1, C, D and E and potassium, sodium, and iron.

So go ahead and enjoy some chocolate, in moderation, of course. I would recommend that try to find organic chocolate, and stick with dark chocolate because it has more cocoa flavonoids and less sugar. (Sugar weakens the immune system, so do not eat sugar when you're sick.) And a bit of milk chocolate is fine when you need an occasional boost brainpower chocolate milk, as before a test. All students take note!

Chocolate as a healthy food - can life get any better?

pharmacological drugs that I compare flavonoids to compare the efficacy of treatment for blood pressure?