How frequently do you find yourself craving chocolate? Pretty often, am I right ladies? Sometimes it feels like chocolate is our savior. After a hard day of classes, sometimes you just want to bite into a big old Hershey’s chocolate bar. Or maybe on a rainy evening, you just want to bundle up in a blanket, listen to some music, write a blog post, and eat some Reese’s Pieces, And I’m not just saying that because that’s what I am doing currently…But chocolate seems to make us feel better after we consume it. But that’s weird, right? I mean how could something so bad for you make you feel so good? Well what if it’s not so bad for you after all? Why that’s absurd. Is it not? It is not. Consuming chocolate can possibly be good for you.

It has been proven that consuming higher levels of chocolate is linked with a significant reduction of cardiometabolic disorders. In these particular studies, this idea was tested. There were multiple types of experiments played out. There were randomized trials, cohort studies, case-studies, and cross-sectional studies carried out most likely to ensure the accuracy of the results of each of the experiments. The way they collected their data was by comparing the lowest and highest levels of chocolate consumption in relation to the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders through the use of meta-analysis. There were even seven different studies that met the inclusion criteria. However, it does say that the results varied among the different experiments so we cannot be sure that chocolate for sure is good for you based upon these studies. They even say that, “five of the seven studies reported a beneficial association between higher levels of chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiometabolic disorders.” Five of seven is not the same as seven of seven by any means. This obviously reveals some uncertainty with this particular study.

However, chocolate has many other benefits. Chocolate releases the following neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. These neurotransmitters are essentially our happy juices. Who would avoid a happiness boost? Bulletproof (the company that studied the effects of chocolate) says that chocolate is similar to coffee in the sense that it contains polyphenol antioxidants. Chocolate is proven to enhance your mood. In one study that Bulletproof refers to, “Participants were asked to complete serial subtraction tasks of threes and sevens” and “a rapid visual information-processing task to test sustained attention.” The results of this experiment was that, “those who consumed cocoa flavanol drinks prior to the trial had overall better cognitive performance and reported less ‘mental fatigue’ than the control group.” Overall, it appears that chocolate has only beneficial outcomes on the mind. Additionally, consumption of chocolate causes a reduction in appetite. This study also mentions the benefits that chocolate consumption has on the cardiovascular system on top of everything that the other experiment brought up.

Now this isn’t to say that chocolate is all good for you. It still has it’s negative outcomes. Chocolate has been known to cause acne and obesity, but this occurs when chocolate is not consumed in moderation. If you pay close attention to this, you’ll find that cocoa beans are full of these things called “flavonoids,” natural antioxidants. The source behind the minimizing of cardiovascular disease is the specific flavonoid known as “epicatechin.” This flavonoid helps the body get rid of free-radicals, which are thought of to preserve cell membranes. However, they say that, “flavonoids degrade quickly when heated or processed and are often removed from commercial chocolate because they taste bitter. So only raw cocoa and, to a lesser extent, dark chocolate, offer these benefits.” So it isn’t necessarily true to say that the flavonoids are the only thing taking care of the minimization of cardiovascular diseases. Theobromine is a stimulant present in chocolate that is similar to caffeine. “One of Theobromine’s well-known effects is on the heart. By increasing the heartbeat and dilating blood vessels, it can lower blood pressure.” Also, Theobromine can help stop a build-up of plaque on the artery walls. Additionally, a very shocking and unbelievable piece of information is that, “chocolate may fight tooth decay more effectively than fluoride. Theobromine appears to help with repairing enamel and protecting teeth from further erosion by acids.”

Take a look at this video:

The important things to note from this video are:

• the higher the percentage, the better the chocolate is for you
• the higher the percentage, the more flavonols/flavonoids
• chocolate contains antioxidants, flavonols, polyphenols
• chocolate is anti-inflammatory
• ENJOY IT

So what does this mean? Eat some chocolate. I mean why not…It looks as if chocolate has predominantly positive outcomes when consumed. It puts you at lower risk for cardiovascular diseases, it releases your happy juices, it contains antioxidants, it enhances your mood, it may even fight tooth decay. So what is a bit of acne going to do? My advice to you is to enjoy some chocolate…

…in moderation of course.

(Photo found: here)