Medical science is actually telling us to eat dark chocolate for heart health. How is this possible? Up until now, we've always thought chocolate was bad for us!

Heart Health

It turns out that dark chocolate made from unprocessed cocoa, contains high amounts of flavonoids and phytochemicals. These are antioxidants found in nutritious foods like raisins, prunes, acai berries, and blueberries. Cocoa has from its origin an incredible high amount of these antioxidants and science has found a way by cold pressing the cocoa. And that's responsible for the benefits of dark chocolate for heart health.

Heart Health

It's not just hype by the chocolate manufacturers. Here are the results of just four scientific, placebo-controlled studies recently conducted by medical doctors and universities all over the world, to prove that we can eat dark chocolate for heart health without any guilt.

A study by the American College of Cardiology found that blood flow increased significantly in individuals who consumed cocoa for six weeks. They concluded that more studies need to be done to determine how much cocoa makes a difference. This is only one study that supports the idea that it's okay to eat dark chocolate for heart health. In another study, forty-five borderline obese but otherwise healthy adults were given either cocoa or a placebo. Doctors measured their blood pressure both before and after, and found that those who ate the dark chocolate had better blood pressure. The benefits of dark chocolate for heart health are immediate. The Journal of the American Medical Association has said that eating a reasonable amount of dark chocolate can lower your blood pressure enough to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by up to eight percent. When you add dark chocolate for heart health to all the other things you do, like getting enough exercise and eating a careful diet, it makes a difference. A study conducted at the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany, looked at men and women with mildly elevated blood pressure. At the end of the study, those who consumed a small amount of healthy dark chocolate every day had lower blood pressure readings. Those who consumed white chocolate showed no change.

If you're pregnant or know someone who is, keep in mind that blood pressure rises during pregnancy. A little piece of dark healthy chocolate during pregnancy is a good thing, because it can help regulate blood pressure.

Drinking cocoa had the same effect as eating it, opening up a whole world of possibilities. You can get your healthy cocoa in many ways, dark chocolate for heart health is available in drinks, snacks and chunk form.