Chocolate And Smokers Hearts

I am not trying to push dark chocolate, but the fact is that we are all trying to improve our health. Our heart is the jewel of our body, when the heart is not functioning properly the whole body suffers.

While looking for ways to improve our heart health we all look for everything available on heart. Finding that a small amount of dark chocolate daily is good for the heart, is a great treat. Dark chocolates are fully loaded with many flavaniods. So by simply eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily we may improve our heart health.

A spot on CBS News, told of a research study that included 20 male smokers’ that were divided into two groups. The men were given 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate or white chocolate and then waited for two hours for the results.

The men that ate the dark chocolate found that the function of the endothelial cells were significantly improved these cells, line the artery walls. There was also a reduction of the platelets, which help to form blood clots. It has been proven that the disruption of these two cells leads to hardening of the arteries and heart disease.

The researchers also pointed out that two much of the dark chocolate could lead to other problems such as blood sugar levels, heart disease, body fat and body weight. They also pointed out that a small amount of dark chocolate daily may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.

How could such a small amount have such a powerful effect? The authors say it’s probably because dark chocolate is so rich in antioxidants. “Dark chocolate has a much higher [antioxidant] content per gram than do other antioxidant-rich foods such as wine, tea, or berries,” they write. “Therefore, only a small daily treat of dark chocolate may substantially increase the amount of antioxidant intake” and improve cardiovascular health.

Below you will find three sites that have more research on the effects of dark chocolate on the heart.

CBS News, DarkChocolate,  Web MD