Is dark chocolate really good for you?

Dark chocolate contains many essential nutrients, including important vitamins and minerals. In particular, the amount of flavonoids found in dark chocolate also helps them prevent some serious diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. So is dark chocolate really good for you?

Dark chocolate is really a nutritious food source because it contains a lot of essential nutrients for the body. In a bar of dark chocolate (about 100 grams) will provide nutrients such as:
58% magnesium 11 grams fiber 89% copper 67% iron 98% manganese In addition, it is also a rich source of minerals other substances, including phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc. However, you should also not consume more than 100 grams of dark chocolate daily, as it provides quite a lot of sugar and a significant amount of calories (about 600 calories).
When consuming dark chocolate in moderation, it will provide your body with an extremely nutritious source of fatty acids. These acids are mainly in saturated and monounsaturated forms, where they contain only trace amounts of polyunsaturated fats.
Furthermore, dark chocolate contains only small amounts of stimulants such as theobromine and caffeine, so you won't need to worry about the risk of losing sleep at night after eating dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate contains a type of biological compound, called Flavonoid, which is a type of polyphenol. Usually, polyphenols are naturally produced by plants, such as teas, vegetables, fruits, coffee, grains, alcohol, and chocolate. This biological compound found in dark chocolate stimulates the lining of arteries and endothelial cells to produce a gas, called nitric oxide (NO). NO gas acts as a signal transmitter to the arteries, thereby reducing resistance to blood flow, and at the same time reducing the body's blood pressure level.

Free radicals can damage cells in the body, so getting antioxidants through daily foods is a most helpful way to help you get rid of them.
Dark chocolate is a great source of antioxidants. It contains biologically active organic compounds and acts as an important antioxidant. These compounds usually include flavonoids, polyphenols, catechins, and a few others.
It can be said that flavonoids and polyphenols are the two compounds with the most effective antioxidant effects, even more powerful than the antioxidants in some fruits such as acai berries or acai berries. blueberry.

Adding dark chocolate to your daily diet can help reduce your risk of heart problems. The results of a recent study showed that consuming cocoa powder can significantly reduce oxidized bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in people with high cholesterol levels, especially in men. Increases good cholesterol (HDL) levels in the body. In general, elevated levels of bad cholesterol in the blood can damage several important tissues, such as the lining of the arteries in the heart, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, adding dark chocolate to your diet can help you reduce oxidized LDL levels because it contains a lot of powerful antioxidants.
In addition, regular consumption of dark chocolate also helps your body reduce insulin resistance levels. This is considered one of the important factors that contribute to the promotion of serious diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Flavonoid compounds found in dark chocolate have very good effects on your skin. It can protect the skin from damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays, while increasing blood flow to the skin, skin density, and hydration. Moreover, eating dark chocolate is also an effective way to prevent aging.

As mentioned above, biological compounds in dark chocolate work to prevent the oxidation of bad cholesterol in the body. Regular consumption of dark chocolate will help you reduce high cholesterol levels in the arteries, thereby protecting against the risk of cardiovascular disease. Some studies have shown that eating dark chocolate can more than halve the risk of dying from cardiovascular problems in older men over the course of 15 years. In addition, consuming dark chocolate about twice a week or more can reduce your chances of developing calcified plaques in your arteries by up to 32%. So it's important to eat dark chocolate regularly to get the most out of its benefits for heart health.
Another study also found that, when consuming dark chocolate more than 5 times a week reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases by up to 57%. However, you should not consume them too much at one time, instead should eat in moderation.

Besides the great health benefits of dark chocolate, they are also considered a quality food source, capable of improving and enhancing brain functions.
In a recent study, when you consume dark chocolate with high levels of flavonoid bioactive compounds within 5 days can significantly improve blood circulation to the brain. In addition, it has also been shown to effectively improve cognitive function in people with mental decline, especially those with advanced age. This improvement often includes language use and disease risk factors.

Along with blueberries, green tea, black garlic and red wine, dark chocolate is also recognized as one of the foods that have a very good cancer prevention effect. Regular consumption of dark chocolate in your daily diet will help you limit the risk of cancer cell division, and at the same time reduce inflammation in the body.
When choosing dark chocolate, you should choose one that contains at least 70% cocoa. Healthcare professionals recommend that you choose low-sugar dark chocolates (under 10g) and should consume no more than 200g a week.

Reference source: nutrition.org.uk