Dark chocolate: A good reason to chomp on those irresistible bars

Until the 'dark chocolate drug' is developed, we will just have to make do with what nature has given us.

Are you a dark chocolate addict? Here's a good reason to chomp on those irresistible bars. A new research suggests that eating dark chocolate lowers the augmentation index - a key vascular health predictor - and reduces adhesion of white blood cells to the vessel wall, thus promoting overall healthy heart functions.

Dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Both arterial stiffness and white blood cell adhesion are known factors that play a significant role in atherosclerosis. The research provides a complete picture of the impact of chocolate consumption in vascular health and shows that increasing flavanol content has no added beneficial effect on vascular health.

However, this increased flavanol content clearly affected taste and, thereby, the motivation to eat dark chocolates. So the dark side of chocolate is a healthy one.

The effect that dark chocolate has on bodies is encouraging not only because it allows us to indulge with less guilt, but also because it could lead the way to therapies that do the same thing as dark chocolate but with better and more consistent results.

Until the 'dark chocolate drug' is developed, we will just have to make do with what nature has given us. 

NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona