First of all, although chocolate contains a lot of saturated fat, the saturated fat in chocolate will not raise your cholesterol level. In the past few years, researchers have found that chocolate contains steroids, which are healthy ingredients in green tea and red wine. Now many studies show that dark chocolate is especially good for people's health. Last year, an Italian expert published a paper in the authoritative scientific magazine Nature: Comparing the Difference between Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate. It was found that the antioxidant activity in the blood of volunteers who ate dark chocolate increased, while the antioxidant activity in the blood of people who ate milk chocolate or ate dark chocolate and drank milk fluctuated at the original level. This shows that milk may affect the absorption of steroids in chocolate.

Second, the benefits

1 Anti-aging Because dark chocolate has a strong antioxidant effect, it prevents the rapid aging of the human body. Experiments have proved that the life expectancy of the elderly who often eat dark chocolate in moderation is significantly longer than that of those who do not eat dark chocolate.

Scientists from Nottingham University have found that eating chocolate and other foods can sharpen the brain and improve cognitive ability in a short time. The research team led by Professor IanMacdonald found that eating cocoa drinks rich in flavanol, a main ingredient of dark chocolate, can promote blood flow in some important areas of the brain for 2-3 hours. The increase of blood flow in some specific areas of the brain can help improve the brain's ability and make people more acute in a short time.

2 Anti-cold (only useful for men) Unfortunately, this ability is only effective for men.

Moisturizing skin German researchers let 24 women drink half a cup of concentrated flavonoid cocoa powder every day. After three months, these women's skin became more moist and smooth, and the symptoms of pigmentation and dandruff caused by exposure to the sun were effectively improved. Researchers believe that flavonoids are absorbed by ultraviolet rays, which helps to protect and increase blood circulation of the skin, thus improving the appearance.

Italian researchers surveyed 143 women who eat chocolate every day and found that they seem to have stronger sexual desire, smoother vagina and orgasm in a shorter time.

Improve the optimistic attitude towards life. Eating dark chocolate will give people a happy mood, thus reducing the occurrence of more diseases in a greater sense.

3 If you eat it in the late pregnancy, you will have a smart and lively baby. In the late pregnancy, you should eat less dark chocolate. The baby born is obviously more cheerful and lively than the mother who has not eaten dark chocolate.

4 lower blood pressure. Last summer, two groups of German researchers published a short research report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A group of researchers compared the effects of dark chocolate and white chocolate. White chocolate is made of cocoa butter, not cocoa. We won't argue whether white chocolate is a misnomer for the time being, because it doesn't contain cocoa at all. The subjects ate a small piece of chocolate every day for two weeks. After the experiment, it was found that the systolic blood pressure (high pressure) of people who ate dark chocolate was 5. 1 point lower than that of people who ate white chocolate. Another group of German researchers found that cocoa drinks can increase the activity of nitric oxide and dilate blood vessels.

Third, the disadvantages

Eating more chocolate will never affect people's liver. Eating too much chocolate will only cause digestive problems. Just like all foods with high fat content (above 30%), eating too much chocolate can also cause stomach pain (such as stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, etc.). Especially light chocolate, it has more fat and contains more polyols (eating too much can cause stomach cramps or diarrhea).

Fourth, the way to warm the stomach: the remedy for eating too much chocolate is to drink a cup of green tea to warm the stomach.