We know that research is being done on how chocolate can help in the recovery from a heart attack, how chocolate milk can help sore muscles heal, how it could prevent malaria, protect against dementia, keep your bones healthy, and help with headaches, and now we can add one more to this ever-growing list: wrinkles!

Research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology is showing that the same antioxidants that are good for your heart are also good for your skin, and that a daily dose of dark chocolate could very well keep you looking younger. Sounds like my kind of …read more

A recent proposal by Steven Maranz from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York could mean some very sweet health news worldwide: Studies are currently being conducted to see how chocolate can help to prevent malaria!

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases, affecting upwards of 350–500 million people per year, mostly in Sub-Sarahan Africa. Five species of the parasite affect humans, and the illness is typically spread by infective mosquito bites.
The parasite feeds on blood fat, and the theory is that chocolate can help to fight the parasite because chocolate sticks to cholesterol which would ultimately weaken the …read more

This is actually one chocolate product I never knew existed: chocolate cigarettes. I remember the bubble gum cigarettes from when I was a kid — they were thin white sticks sold in packs made to resemble cigarettes, and blowing on one end produced a puff of sugar “smoke” from the other end. You’d pretend to “smoke” it for a minute before the lure of bubble gum took over and it was devoured.

Now that flavored cigarettes (as in real cigarettes) have been recently banned, the idea that the nostalgic candies even resemble the now-banned items have some fans of the candy …read more

Having grown up in a household where several family members suffered from migraines, I learned early on that some foods can be a headache trigger. One sibling gets hit when he eats turkey, another when she eats certain cheeses. Added to the list of things they should generally avoid (provided by the family doctor) were chocolate, dairy, certain breads, and a few other meats.

Being a teenager at the time I couldn’t imagine giving up such staples as chocolate and bread, but I also hadn’t suffered from a migraine yet! Thankfully, the occasional ones I do get now aren’t food triggered, …read more

Twenty eight high schools in nine states across the midwest United States have received upwards of $3000 in grants from Midwest Dairy Council this month.
Why? Because they’re helping to promote “better nutrition in high school athletes by encouraging the consumption of 16 ounces of chocolate milk within one-half hour after practice, workouts and competitions.”
Senior high schools in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and eastern Oklahoma received the Recover with Chocolate Milk grants. The winners included both male and female athletes representing football, basketball, baseball, softball, cross country and golf teams.
Low-fat chocolate milk was …read more

More fun news for chocolate lovers! Another new study is showing that pictures of chocolate can actually help with weight loss by strengthening resolve and will power. I wonder if it works if the picture is on the package of chocolate? Hmmm…

54 female students participated in the study published by Appetite, a behavioral nutrition journal, though they weren’t actually aware that they were part of a weight loss study.
Researchers told the women they were participating in a memory test, and showed them pictures of a slice of chocolate cake and a flower, and then chocolate cake and an oatmeal …read more

More fantastic health news for chocolate lovers: another new study has found that heart attack survivors who eat dark chocolate one to two times per week are three times more likely to lessen their chances of dying from heart disease than those who never eat it.

Though other studies have shown that the antioxidants in dark chocolate are good for heart and cardiovascular health in general, this one is the first to show that eating chocolate can actually ward off death for those who have suffered heart attacks previously.
Participants in the study, which has been ongoing since the early …read more

According to Kings College London biochemist Dr Robert Williams, a flavonoid found in cocoa called epicatechin is being researched as having a positive effect on protecting brain and body cells against cancer and dementia.

The naturally occurring flavonoids not only act only as antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, but may also delay the onset of illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease:
Central to the development of Alzheimer’s disease is beta-amyloid peptide, a substance normally produced in the brain but which in Alzheimer’s is deposited abnormally.
Williams has shown that flavonoids can protect brain cells against the toxic actions …read more

More good news for chocolate lovers!
Researchers have determined that a glass of low-fat chocolate milk after a work out has the same benefits as a high-carbohydrate energy drink, such as Gatorade.
The study actually used college soccer players who drank chocolate milk after intense training. The players drank an energy drink after one session, and then chocolate milk after another:
At days two and four of intense training, the researchers measured creatine kinase and myoglobin levels, muscle soreness, mental and physical fatigue, peak isometric force of the quadriceps, and leg-extension repetitions.
The researchers found that serum creatinine kinase levels — a marker …read more

I really love this idea — instead of having just a plain cup of coffee in the morning, get in some protein with it and make a healthy mocha smoothie. I also really like that it’s a cold drink, since it’s getting toasty here in the southwest and a hot cup of coffee in the morning isn’t as appealing as it is in the cooler months.
Making the mocha smoothie from the video above is pretty easy. All you need is ice, coffee, chocolate whey protein powder, milk, and yogurt. I think the biggest obstacle for me would be running the …read more