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Good news for chocolate lovers. Scientists continue to discover new health benefits from the delicious superfood.
The latest study shows that dark chocolate reverses depression. This may not surprise people who have personal experience chasing blues while indulging in the treat.
Confirming anecdotal evidence, researchers from University College London and the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services surveyed 13,000 adults in the United States and discovered that over a period 24 hours, those who ate dark chocolate were 70% less likely to have symptoms of depression. .
Add that to previous research showing that dark chocolate is good for our heart. Health experts say that the antioxidant in cocoa keeps our blood flowing. Laura Jeffers, Registered Dietitian at Cleveland Clinic, says the key ingredient is flavanol
"Flavanol will help improve blood pressure, it will help the blood to coagulate better so that it does not become sticky in the arteries," she said.
However, before packing, Jeffers makes a few warnings.
First, make sure the chocolate you eat is black and not the milk chocolate.
"You really want dark chocolate and that high percentage of cocoa," she said. "Having that 70%, so the brand does not matter, but the type of chocolate really matters, so this dark chocolate, this high percentage of cocoa."
Second, watch your serving size. Chocolate contains sugar, which is bad for our health. In chocolate, a little goes a long way.
"I would recommend an ounce of dark chocolate several times a week," Jeffers said. "I do not think it's something you have to have every day."
Some people worry about saturated fats in chocolate. Jeffers however says that stearic acid prevents it from increasing cholesterol levels.
In addition to improving depression and heart health, chocolate also improves memory. A study from Columbia University showed that after only three months, older Americans had regained the strength of memory of a 25-year-old younger person.
"What we discovered was that people aged 50 or 60 who were eating a diet rich in cocoa-flavanols had improved memory," said Scott A. Small, neuroscientist of the Medical Center of the United States. Columbia University, and it seems to come from a particular element. of the brain that we know is targeted by normal aging ".
According to the Columbia study, participants had to consume a drink containing 450 milligrams of cocoa flavanols, which equates to seven bars of dark chocolate. Unfortunately, cocoa flavanols had no effect on a different part of the brain targeted by Alzheimer's disease.
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