The world's chocolate lovers rejoice!
Science is on the side of those who want to eat chocolate daily. A new study published in the journal Appetite has been linking a daily dose of chocolate consumption to a 'younger, more active' brain and a healthier and stronger heart.
The study entitled 'Chocolate intake is associated with better cognitive function: The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study' explored the relationship of chocolate and better cognitive performance.
According to the researcher, Georgina Crichton from the Nutritional Physiology, the aim of the study is to "investigate whether chocolate intake was associated with cognitive function, with adjustment for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors" and successfully, proven.
"The present findings support recent clinical trials suggesting that regular intake of cocoa flavanols may have a beneficial effect on cognitive function, and possibly protect against normal age-related cognitive decline," Crichton concluded the research.
Chocolate is also found guilty of making a heart stronger, as found out by studies, presented in this years's "EPI|LIFESTYLE 2016 Scientific Sessions: Epidemiology and Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health" conducted in Arizona, March 1-4 by the American Heart Association
Eating habits and lifestyle of 1,100 adults (ages 18-69) have been examined over the course of two years, which led the way of the findings that consuming 100mg of chocolate everyday "correlated with lower insulin resistance and liver enzymes, which are indicators of heart disease risk."
This means that people who more frequently eat chocolate are more likely to be "younger, more physically active and have fewer chronic health issues than those who don't," according to the study.
Few studies have been made correlating chocolate as a wonderful food for the overall health of a human being. Last month, a study published in the journal Appetite concluded that regularly chowing down on the dark stuff leads to better cognitive brain function-which means stronger working memory, better spatial organization and more sensible reasoning skills.
Also, Delish.com reported the positive effects of chocolate on our body because of their content, cocoa flavanols, a subgroup of flavonoids found in chocolate. "Dark chocolate (30 to 70 percent cocoa) contains the highest levels of flavanols, which are also present in grapes, apples and red wine," Delish writes on their website.
