In spite of the indulgent reputation of chocolates, a number of
researchers around the world believe that chocolate in extremely
beneficial for our cardiovascular system including the heart. The
following pointers will inform the reason behind this perception of the
researchers.
- According to the scientists that antioxidants present in dark chocolate are extremely beneficial for the heart.
The antioxidants found in dark chocolate are known as flavanols, a sub
class of polyphenols. Flavanols work by deactivating the free radicals
in human blood and thus controls the formation of bad cholesterol.
Flavanols are also known for stimulating the nitric oxide production in
human body; nitric oxide is the gas responsible for relaxing and
widening the arteries.
- A research published in the year 2006 showed that chocolate has great effects on the heart health
of human beings. The study was done on 470 elderly men; they were
followed for 15 years to check their regular intake of chocolates or
other cocoa products. The men who consumed maximum amount of cocoa
products during this phase were 50 percent less vulnerable towards heart
failures compared to the men who ate least amount of cocoa products.
- One of the crucial agents for blood
clotting is platelet. Platelets are extremely essential for healing of
wounds, but create serious problem when these sticky cells accumulate on
the walls of the arteries. Accumulation of platelets on the artery
walls lead to formation of blood clots
and plaques that can result in arterial blockages. Generally, the
physicians prescribe baby aspirin, a medicine known for its
anti-clotting effects for preventing heart attacks. A medical study was
conducted for comparing the effects of baby aspirin and cocoa beverage;
the results revealed that cocoa offered similar effect to that of baby
aspirin. However, the effects of cocoa were slightly less in magnitude.
The best result was obtained when both cocoa and baby aspirin were
administered together.
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