We all love a chocolatey treat and worldwide we eat £36bn of the stuff every year. But every time you have a sneaky bar, do you feel a bit guilty?
It might be bad for our waistlines but new research suggests that chocolate has many benefits that could make a big difference to our overall health and could even be used to fight life threatening diseases!
Some patients at risk of heart disease are to be given a daily bar of chocolate to ward off angina and heart attacks. This along with its cancer-beating antioxidants and aphrodisiac properties make chocolate our new favourite food (as if it wasn't already!)
Chocolate to beat heart disease
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Chocolate to boost your sex drive
Chocolate to reduce risk of cancer
The best chocolate to get the benefits
Patients with high risk of heart disease such as those with Type-2 diabetes are to be given a new bar of chocolate as daily medication against angina and heart attacks.
The specially-devised chocolate bar isn't your run-of-the-mill Mars or Dairy Milk but is a form of chocolate scientists have created. And this chocolate could potentially have a better effect on beating heart problems than many currently prescribed drugs.
The chocolate treatment is still in trial form at the moment but we've got our fingers crossed that in a couple of years you'll be prescribed chocolate on the NHS!
In 2007, Mars discovered that antioxidants found in a certain type of cocoa could rapidly increase blood flow to parts of the brain.
With cocoa being a main ingredient in chocolate, this again shows the potential health benefits of one of the nation's favourite treats. The study revealed that cocoa could have a positive effect on adults suffering from memory loss and mental decline in later life - great news for the ageing population.
The antioxidant properties of chocolate make it a superfood. As long as it has a cocoa content of 60% or more, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and can really help to lower blood pressure.
The flavonoids (antioxidants) in the chocolate produce something called nitric oxide in the body which improves blood flow, and as a result lowers blood pressure.
Not all chocolate does the trick - it's a case of the darker the better and this applies if you're watching your weight too. The darker the chocolate, the lower in fat and sugar it is too - even more reason to eat it!
Chocolate is an aphrodisiac. It contains a chemical that is released naturally in the human body when you're in love.
Chocolate also contains dopamine which is a natural painkiller and serotonin which produces feelings of pleasure. The melting point of chocolate is slightly below our body temperature so it gives a pleasurable sensory experience when it melts in the mouth.
All these things combined mean that it really puts you in the mood for love.
Those antioxidant flavonoids found in cocoa have yet another use - they can help prevent cancer. They work by stopping the body from making 'free radicals' which damage cells, and in turn can lead to cancer.
Researchers in the US have done experiments that show the antioxidants in chocolate are enough to mean that eating chocolate rich in cocoa just three times a month could add a year to your life expectancy - we wonder what happens if you eat it every day...
To really get all the health benefits of chocolate, you need to be eating bars with a high-cocoa content. Here are a few that are widely available and are made from 70% or more cocoa.
Green & Black's 70% Dark Chocolate
As it says, this chocolate contains 70% cocoa - enough to give you the health benefits.
Seeds of Change Organic dark chocolate
This bar also contains enough cocoa to be beneficial and it's so rich, you'll eat less - good news for our waistlines.
Lindt Excellence 85% cocoa
With 85% cocoa, this dark chocolate bar contains loads of the good stuff.
Divine 70% Dark Chocolate
A Fairtrade chocolate bar from Ghana.
Choxi+ Dark Antioxidant Rich Chocolate
This chocolate has been specially devised to retain more antioxidants and just two 5g squares of the dark variety gives you your daily allowance.
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