Seriously Amazing Facts about Dark Chocolates

Lisa Franchi February 17, 2014

Valentine’s must be over but the pile of chocolates you have received on that day might still be on your desk. Chocolates – just the sound of it tickles our brain and makes us smile. And the taste – that bitter-sweet taste – it’s perfectly amazing. But you know what the best thing about dark chocolates is? They are loaded with health benefits too! For those who are worrying about the potential weight gain and depression that consuming chocolates bring, here’s good news: vast evidence suggest that with every bite you take, you are not just satisfying your sweet tooth, but also nourishing your body.

Here are some seriously amazing health benefits of dark chocolates.

Beauty Benefits

Eating for beauty doesn’t mean a life sentence of indulging in salads. Chocolates can be a good addition to your diet as well. Whilst spas are now using chocolates as a body scrub, there’s nothing like eating them to nourish your skin. A paper published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology that the high levels of antioxidant flavanols in dark chocolates may protect the skin from the harmful effects of UV light. In another study, flavanols in dark chocolate even improved skin hydration and thickness. As a result, you will have soft, supple and well-nourished skin.

Aside from healthy skin, consuming moderate amounts of dark chocolates may also help you fight wrinkles. You might ask – in what way? Well, chocolates help combat the number one enemy of beauty: stress. Cocoa has been found to reduce stress which triggers collagen breakdown in the skin. Thus, you will have fewer wrinkles!

Dark chocolates also offer a number of hair care benefits. First, it helps increase blood circulation in the scalp, allowing the nutrients you get from food to reach and nourish your hair and prevent hair loss. Second, the antioxidants in dark chocolates boost the overall health of your tresses, making them super-glossy and voluminous. And third, due to its anti-inflammatory properties, your risk of getting scalp infections goes down.

Weight Loss

Unless you eat too much or you eat the wrong type, dark chocolates may actually help you lose and manage weight. Dark chocolates are high in monounsaturated fatty acids which, according to so many studies, can rev your metabolism to burn fat and calories. Another thing, dark chocolate consumption may reduce insulin resistance. Repeated release of insulin due to too much sugary food can cause the cells to develop resistance to insulin, preventing from performing its job and depriving cells of the needed nutrient. As a defence mechanism, the body calls for more food and signals the need to store fat to protect against starvation. This ultimately results to weight gain. In a 2005 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that substituting dark chocolate for some of the sugary foods may help reduce insulin resistance. Not only that. Participants who ate dark chocolates for 15 days did not only reduce their insulin resistance but also their blood pressure levels.

Another reason why dark chocolates may help you lose weight is because it has the ability to suppress your appetite. In a 2008 study carried out by researchers from Denmark, participants rated dark chocolates as more filling than milk chocolate. Not only that, they also experienced a reduction in food cravings. Meanwhile, the researchers recorded the participants’ calorie intake during the study and found that dark chocolate eaters had reduced their calorie consumption by 15 per cent compared with milk chocolate eaters.

Furthermore, the stress-busting benefit of dark chocolate also impacts weight loss. As you may know, stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol which causes the body to secrete more insulin, leading to overeating. In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, participants who consumed 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks had lower cortisol levels, resulting to better metabolism.

Health Benefits

The flavanols in dark chocolates do not only boost skin health but also heart health. These antioxidants serve as the body’s major weapon against disease-causing free radicals. Also, dark chocolate serves to reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels in the arteries and heart. And because it boosts blood flow, dark chocolates may help reduce the formation of blood clots and lower the risk of arthrosclerosis or the hardening of arteries.

These bitter-sweet treats are also good for your brain and mental health. By increasing blood flow to your brain, dark chocolate also boosts cognitive function and reduces your risk of stroke. Apart from antioxidants that protect you from cancer and other debilitating illnesses, dark chocolates also contain some chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood and mental health. For instance, dark chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA) – the same chemical your brain creates when you feel like you’re falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release endorphins, so eating dark chocolate makes you feel happier. Dark chocolate has the stimulant caffeine too, but not as much as coffee.

What’s more, dark chocolates contain a number of vitamins and minerals that can support your health. They include potassium, copper, iron and magnesium. Copper and potassium help prevent against stroke and cardiovascular ailments, whilst iron protects against iron deficiency anaemia. Meanwhile, magnesium helps prevent type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Important Notes

But before you rush to the store to buy more dark chocolates, there are a few things you need to consider. Since dark chocolates come in so many varieties, it may be a bit difficult to choose the best one. So here are a few pointers for you:

· Look for dark chocolates that have smooth, unblemished surface. They should not have any sort of streaks and dots.

· Choose the brand/variety that contains at least 70 per cent cocoa.

· If possible, try to break the chocolate before you pay for it. If it breaks with a clean and firm snap, buy it without hesitation. Don’t buy chocolates that have grainy or overly greasy texture.

· Look for the brand that has real chocolaty flavour and aroma.

And lastly, you need not eat a bunch of dark chocolates to reap their amazing health wonders. In one study, European researchers found that eating a precise amount of chocolate – 6.7 grams a day – will give you the best health benefits.