Dark chocolate stands out when compared to other varieties. Doctors assert that dark chocolate has less added sugar and fat than milk or white chocolate while also pointing out that it is rich in flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants.
Cocoa butter, sugar, and cocoa solids are one of the main ingredients of both milk chocolate and dark chocolate. However, the amount of cocoa solids in the two types of chocolate varies.
50% to 90% of cocoa solids make up dark chocolate. Additionally, milk chocolate has 10% to 50% fat.
Unsurprisingly, the extent of the health advantages of dark chocolate might vary depending on the number of cocoa solids present. The more flavonoids and the less sugar, the higher the percentage of cocoa solids.
Hence, let’s break down the great health benefits of dark chocolate.
Great antioxidant properties
Oxygen radical absorbance capacity is termed widely as ORAC. It is a measurement of a food content’s antioxidant capacity.
In essence, scientists experiment with a piece of food against a lot of toxic free radicals to analyze how nicely the antioxidants in the food can counteract the unrestricted radicals.
This research indicates that chocolate includes a large number of antioxidants. However, because ORAC is considered in a test tube and could not have the same effect on the human body, its biological relevance is doubted.
Helps with blood pressure
Dark chocolate’s flavanols encourage the body to produce more nitric oxide. Nitric oxide increases blood flow and decreases blood pressure by widening blood vessels.
A 2015 analysis showed the effects of chocolate eating were examined in 60 individuals with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure by Trusted Source. In comparison to individuals who had the same amount of white chocolate, those who consumed 25 g of dark chocolate daily for 8 weeks had considerably lower blood pressure, according to the study’s findings.
Lessens the risk of heart disease
The potential impact that dark chocolate may have in enhancing heart health is one of the main advantages that researchers highlight. An 8 percent lower risk of blocked arteries was shown to be connected with eating chocolate once per week, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis that was published back in July 2020.
Another substantial study found that regularly consuming about 1 oz of chocolate was associated with a lower risk of coronary artery disease. This study, which was published in May 2021 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined data from more than 188,000 veterans.
Improves insulin sensitivity
As reported by the Cleveland Clinic, the preliminary kind of flavonoid established in chocolate and dark chocolate is made of cocoa, which is rich in flavanols. As reported by Guzak, flavanols are plant compounds with multiple health benefits, like antioxidant and anti-inflammatory aspects. By lessening oxidative pressure, flavanols can also improve how the body injects glucose.
According to Guzak, this can improve insulin sensitivity and lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes. In reality, some research indicates that polyphenols may have an impact on glycemia (blood sugar) and Type 2 diabetes through a variety of mechanisms, including encouraging the uptake of glucose in tissues and thereby enhancing insulin sensitivity.
Helps in better vision and highly nutritious
In preliminary studies, those who had dark chocolate had a better vision two hours later than those who consumed milk chocolate. Although studies are needed to assess how long this increase would stay or how useful it might be in the actual world, dark chocolate may momentarily improve vision.
Additionally, dark chocolate has a lot of fiber and is a great source of iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and other minerals. Dark chocolate with a minimum flavanol content of 70% is the most beneficial.