Now You Can Enjoy Your Chocolate Fix Even More…
As you know, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants. Its health benefits include helping to lower blood pressure, prevent cancer, lower the risk of heart disease, and improve brain function. And that’s not all…
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD tested the effect of dark chocolate on platelet activity, C-reactive protein (CRP – an indicator of heart disease and stroke risk), and lipid profile in 28 healthy volunteers. For one week, the volunteers ate dark chocolate (providing 700 mg of flavonoids per day). At the end of that time, the researchers found that, on average, their LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) had fallen by 6 percent and their HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) had increased by 9 percent. Their CRP levels, too, were reduced.
So don’t feel guilty about reaching for another dark chocolate truffle. Keep in mind, though, that, eating too much dark chocolate can lead to weight gain and excessive exposure to sugars and fats. To get the benefits without the sugar and fat, consider taking a capsule of a cacao supplement in the morning with breakfast.
[Ed. Note: Healthy food doesn't have to taste like cardboard. Simply make smart choices when it comes to what you eat, and you can live a healthier, fuller life. For tasty, good-for-you recipes - plus the latest health breakthroughs and easy-to-follow fitness techniques - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter.
Ray Sahelian, MD - an internationally recognized expert in the evaluation of natural supplements - has agreed to offer a free bottle of his cacao supplement to ETR readers. Click here to learn more.]
Wonderful news about all the ways that dark chocolate protects your heart and health!
1. I’ve never seen a cacao or dark chocolate supplement though I do drink unsweetened cocoa. Are there such supplements? And, if so what supplement company makes them?
2. The research I’ve seen suggests that dark chocolate ONLY has these effects on an empty stomach and that eating dark chocolate (or drinking tea) with milk turns off its health effects.
So, taking such a cacao supplement with breakfast sounds like a bad time of day to take it.