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Heart Dark Chocolate

By John Robbins: There is a growing body of credible scientific evidence that chocolate contains a host of heart-healthy and mood-enhancing phytochemicals, with benefits to both body and mind.

For one, chocolate is a plentiful source of antioxidants. These are substances that reduce the ongoing cellular and arterial damage caused by oxidative reactions.

You may have heard of a type of antioxidants called polyphenols. These are protective chemicals found in plant foods such as red wine and green tea. Chocolate, it turns out, is particularly rich in polyphenols. According to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the same antioxidant properties found in red wine that protect against heart disease are also found in comparable quantities in chocolate.

How does chocolate help to prevent heart disease? Continue reading »

Dark Chocolate Health Benefits

By Alexis Wolfer: The New York Times [has] reported that chocolate, in moderation is good for your heart. In fact, women (from Sweden in this study) who ate 1 to 2 servings of dark chocolate (between two-thirds of an ounce and one ounce) each week had almost one-third fewer cases of heart failure than those who avoided the sweet stuff. They say that chocolate may lower blood pressure and that the flavonoids in cocoa may reduce blood vessel inflammation.

2010 was a good year for dark chocolate lovers — the news is full of promising research regarding its effects on heart, stress, brain & liver, not to mention tastebuds! — Dr. Cathie

BeautyBean … New York Times … Telegraph (UK) ... Daily Mail (UK) … Medical News Today