Bright secrets of dark chocolates benefits human heart

Bright secrets of dark chocolates benefits human heart

Perhaps there is reason why chocolates have always been considered aphrodisiacs. Scientists from Switzerland studying around 20 healthy people who were smokers have found that the antioxidants in chocolates may prevent the ageing of arteries, which otherwise grows hard and narrow.

It is well established that smokers are more prone to the hardening of arteries as also of heart disease. Hence under this research the 20 men who were fed 40g portions of chocolates were asked not to eat foods that are known to be full of antioxidants, like apples, cabbages, onions etc.

Ultrasound scans were conducted on the subjects two hours after this consumption. The result was that the subject's blood flow was 'significantly improved' due to the consumption of dark chocolates that had 74 per cent of cocoa solids.

Tests also showed that platelet activity, which is also known to cause blood clots, also halved. Surprisingly for the researchers, white chocolate did not show any of these benevolent effects.

The researchers, whose work was published in the journal Heart Today, were of the opinion that the reason for these observations could be the per-gram levels of antioxidants, which was more in dark chocolate than other foods better known for similar properties such as green tea or red wine.

Their conclusion was that: 'A small daily treat of dark chocolate may substantially increase the amount of antioxidant intake and beneficially affect vascular health.'