Heart Healthy Chocolate
Chocoholics think about chocolates as an addiction which can really be bad for their health. Some would even blame chocolates when their bellies and hips start to expand.
Back then, before the time of thin models and the mindset that being thin is healthy, chocolate was considered very precious because of its medicinal value. Before going to war, the Mayans and the Aztecs consumed chocolate beverages to invigorate them and prevent getting weak easily. Even South Americans and Europeans, used chocolates to help them get rid of their diarrhea.
Numerous studies have been conducted to establish whether chocolate can produce harmful or beneficial effects. Experts want to discover the different substances included in chocolates so that they can understand why people crave for it so much that almost 12 pounds of chocolates are consumed per year by an American.
Chocolate lovers talk about how chocolate can enhance their mood and excitement, which may be possible because of the two alkaloids in chocolate, phenethylamine (PEA) and theobromine.
A well-publicized book in the 1980s started the assertion that PEA can have a similar effect to the feeling brought about by being in love, which was eventually picked up by the media which in turn began hyping PEA as the love chemical. In addition, they even argued that depression could be attributed to the low PEA levels of one’s body.
Furthermore, the studies conducted proved that PEA and theobromine work together to jack up heart rates and blood pressures so as to mimic that extraordinary emotional high. Theobromine produces the same effect as that of the caffeine, although to a lesser extent. Cacao beans, the vital material in making chocolate candy, have chockfull of theobromine
Another beneficial substance in chocolate is tryptophan, antecedent to serotonin, the hormone which manages such brain functions as sleeping, anger, mood, appetite and sexual desire. When a person has enough level of serotonin in the body, it will result to an even-tempered disposition; those lacking of it will experience moodiness and depression.
Further studies conducted has proven that the theobromine in chocolates help in maintaining goo blood pressure and the health of the heart. Theobromine now is being used as a stimulator to the heart in medical situations, to help enlarge compressed veins for efficient blood flow.
Flavanoids is also one of chocolate’s substances which can aid the body in eliminating the unnecessary effects of free radicals. Just like chocolates, plants contain flavanoids too which helps protect them from any the harm that environmental toxins could engender. Aside from that it also helps in increasing the production of eiconsanoids, a hormone responsible for regulating the cardiovascular system.
These are just few of the many health benefits that you can get from chocolates. It can help improve your mental and physical health so go on and just indulge, albeit in moderation, on your favorite chocolate confectioneries.
