During various situations in life, many people turn to chocolate to make them feel better. But more than just putting a smile on your face, candy has numerous health benefits. For instance, people who eat chocolate are four times less likely to have depression compared to those who don’t. This is certainly not the only reason to visit your local candy store more frequently. In this article, we explain nine more reasons eating chocolate is healthy for you.
1. It Decreases Stroke Risk
With stroke being such a menace in many parts of the world, you’ll be glad to know that eating more chocolate can help protect you from this dangerous illness. So how much chocolate should you eat to reduce your risk of getting stroke? Well, experts say that 45 grams per week can lead to reduced stroke risk among women by about 20 percent. Chocolate has flavonoids which have antioxidant properties. These properties help fight stroke.
2. It Prevents Heart Disease
One of the reasons experts encourage people to eat chocolate is because it has been proven to prevent blood clots. For chocolate eaters, blood platelets clot much slowly than for non-chocolate eaters. This, in turn, decreases the risk of heart attacks. About 6.7 grams of chocolate keep blood inflammation proteins away, keeping your heart healthy. That’s a good reason to invest in bulk chocolate.
3. It Can Help With Math
According to psychologists, the flavanols can help you with your mental math. People who take a cup of hot cocoa have an easier time counting backwards from any generated number than they do without their cocoa. Also, studies show that people who eat chocolate when revising for exams may benefit from doing so.
4. Ite May Prevent Cancer
One of the main compounds is pentameric procyanidin. This compound is highly beneficial when it comes to disrupting the ability of cancer cells to spread in the body. Pentamer suppresses the proteins necessary for cancer to grow.
5. It Averts the Risk of Diabetes
Another good reason to consume more than just the 50% of chocolate that the average American eats in their annual candy intake is to reduce the risk of diabetes. Chocolate contained in chewy candies and other products increases insulin sensitivity, which is very effective when it comes to combating diabetes.
6. It Is Good for the Skin
You probably have heard some people claim that eating too many candy bars can cause acne. In truth, dark chocolate does not cause breakouts. Instead, the flavonoids can protect your skin from harmful UV rays from the sun. Of course, this doesn’t mean consuming more soft candy is enough to make you skip your sunscreen.
7. It Controls Coughs
Looking for a delicious way to control your cough? Apparently, eating chocolate is the best choice. Chocolate contains a sweet compound called theobromine that can reduce the activity of the vagus nerve which triggers coughing fits. Currently, scientists are working on a drug that uses theobromine to quell coughs.
8. It Strengthens the Brain
Dark chocolate is effective when it comes to shielding your brain cells and protects it from the damage that can be caused by a stroke. A compound referred to as epicatechin significantly reduces brain damage and improves memory.
9. It Can Help In Reducing Weight
Just a small quantity before a meal triggers hormones in your brain that inform it that you are full, significantly reducing the amount of food you consume. This helps reduce your weight over time.
Good chocolate is usually grown with the best care by farmers and then processed by people who take pride in their work. Such chocolate may not be mass produced or come cheap, but it is certainly good for the body, heart, and soul. This is one of the reasons you should give in to that craving for a bar of chocolate more often.
