The Top 5 Reasons Eating Chocolate is Good for You

Bridget Ilene Delaney
For a long time it thought that chocolate was not truly good for people. Instead, the only thing known was that it made people feel good, but it was thought that it was full of fat and sugars. It was treated like a fat. There were also rumors about chocolate that it caused acne and headaches. However, studies have found that those things are not true and new studies are finding that chocolate has health benefits.

Increased Blood Flow

One study shows that somewhere between two and three hours after people drank a flavinol rich beverage, such as hot chocolate that was homemade, and not from a mix, had increased blood flow to the brain. The increased blood flow to the brain helps the brain function.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are agents that destroy free radicals. Another study found that eating chocolate provides antioxidants, especially when eaten during a stressful time. This is good because free radicals need to be destroyed as they destroy cell membranes and DNA. The darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it contains.

Enhanced Brain Function

Because chocolate increases blood flow to the brain, it also enhances brain function. This can be beneficial to people who need help while reading or doing cognitive activities. It can also help people to be able to drive better and to sleep better when they have sleep deprevation.

Lower Blood Pressure

For many years, people thought that drinking green tea or black tea would lower blood pressure. However, it has been found that neither of these actually lower blood pressure. Eating chocolate does lower blood pressure, though.

Reduced Stress

Eating chocolate provides flavinols. The human body naturally makes flavinols, but it cannot make them while stressed. Thus, eating chocolate while stressed allows the body to get flavinols. Eating the chocolate helps reduce stress which allows for the human body to function properly.

Published by Bridget Ilene Delaney

Bridget Ilene Delaney is the author of "This is My Bucket." She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. She writes many articles on a variety of other subjects. She is interested in diabetes compli...  View profile

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