Why Eating Dark Chocolate Can Reduce Your Cholesterol

When you think of chocolate, chances are good that you think about a sweet fix or a sumptuous dessert rather than something that is actually good for you.  However, dark chocolate offers some significant health and nutrition benefits to you.  So what sort of benefits can you get from dark chocolate?

One of the most significant benefits here is the improved heart health offered by dark chocolate.  These benefits include lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.  In fact, consuming a piece of dark chocolate daily can actually reduce your LDL cholesterol by up to ten percent.

Dark chocolate also contains a considerable amount of oleic acid, which is the same substance found in olive oil and many nuts.  This offers protection for your heart and circulatory system.  This chocolate also contains caffeine, which can give you an energy boost, as well as helping to alleviate headaches.  Serotonin found in dark chocolate can also act to help prevent depression and elevate your mood.

Can you get all of these benefits from regular milk chocolate such as Hersheys or Cadbury?  While you might think that the compounds would be the same, you have to eat dark chocolate to enjoy better health, not milk chocolate.  However, for those who do not enjoy the taste of dark chocolate, even just a small amount eaten every day will help you attain better health.

But before you go rushing down to the candy store, remember that it’s best to eat only a small amount here, as even the darker variety of chocolate contains quite a few calories.  If eaten without moderation, this can actually reverse the health benefits offered by dark chocolate.