Antioxidants are good for your health. Here are just some of the wonders these natural health powerhouses can perform:
- reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer's disease
- prevent wrinkles
- help guard against cancer
- reduce rates of diabetes, heart disease, and other diseases of aging
- increase resistance to viruses
The key to chocolate's health benefits lies in two components occurring naturally in chocolate. First, cocoa phenols. European chocolate is generally richer in cocoa phenols than American chocolate, possibly because European chocolate tends to have a higher percentage of cacao relative to other ingredients. A recent German study found that these compounds lower blood pressure.
The other antioxidant compounds in chocolate are catechins. According to a recent Dutch study, dark chocolate had 53.5 mg of catechins per 100 gm, and milk chocolate had 15.9 mg per 100 gm. Black tea, previously thought to be the best source of these antioxidants, contains 13.9 mg per 100 ml.
We're not suggesting that you give up fruits and vegetables, the primary sources of antioxidants. However, if you're going to eat dessert -- and sometimes you should -- then it ought to be chocolate.
