Chocolates and health

Following blog explains the benefits and drawbacks of chocolates on health.

Chocolate generally known as a comfort food is also a stress reliever, mood enhancer and a romance inducer. Chocolate especially dark chocolate having a cocoa percentage of around 70 percent have proven medical benefits.

Chocolate eaters often risk their health in certain ways.

Benefits of eating chocolate

1. Heart: Dark chocolate increases the flexibility of arteries and prevents white blood cells from sticking to the arteries thus preventing clogging. They also help in maintaining circulation.
2. Stroke risk: Eating chocolate reduces the risk of stroke. The antioxidant property of flavonoids in chocolate prevents stroke.
3. Prevents inflammation: Eating dark chocolate helps in keeping inflammation inducing proteins away.
4. Diabetes: Insulin sensitivity is increased in people who eat chocolate and thus the risk of diabetes is reduced.
5. Skin: Flavonoids present in dark chocolate protects the skin against ultra violet rays. But it is not advised to completely skip using sunscreen.
6. Cholesterol: Chocolate consumption reduces the low density lipids or the bad cholesterol levels and raises the level of good cholesterol.
7. Weight: chocolates help in reducing weight as well. A small bar of chocolate before meals reduces the appetite as it makes you feel full says the best weight loss surgeon in India. It is also researched that people who eat chocolate have a low body mass index than the ones who do not.
8. Constipation: Chocolate also reduces constipation thus reducing the risk of haemorrhoids.
9. Stress: phenyl ethylamine in chocolates encourages the brain to produce endorphin, which is a feel good hormone. This is the reason when one feels much stressed and low, eating chocolate makes him feel better and raises his spirits.
10. Mothers and babies: Some studies show that eating chocolate reduces stress in expecting mothers.

Drawbacks of eating chocolate

1. Cavities: Milk chocolate contains excess sugar content. Consuming large amount of chocolate can cause cavities and increase the dentist visits.
2. Weight gain: The added amount of sugar in milk chocolates can cause weight gain. It loaded with calories
3. Gastro intestinal reflux: chocolate relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter thus enabling the stomach content to travel back upwards, causing heart burn. Hence chocolate restriction is advised to avoid it.
4. Caffeine: chocolate contains caffeine, which is why a small bar of it perks up your mood. Dark chocolate contains more caffeine than milk chocolate. Excess caffeine consumption can cause increase in heart rate, sleep problems, tremors and depression.
5. Kidney stones: Dark chocolate increases the risk of kidney stones. It has oxalate in it and thus increases the oxalate content in urine thereby increasing the chances of having kidney stones.
6. Migraine: Tyramine content in dark chocolates triggers migraine headaches. Being high in sugar content it raises the blood sugar levels. Hyperglycaemia also increases the risk of migraine headaches. If suffering from migraine then dark chocolates should be avoided.

Everything has their positives and negatives its completely on us which type of benefits we take from it.