Feel good food chocolate may not only be good for snacks and gifts....but for overall health as well as reported by Reported by Tiffany Chao, M.D., ABC News Medical Unit:
"A new study suggests that consuming more flavanol, a component of cocoa, improves cognitive function and blood pressure in elderly patients who have mild cognitive impairment. In the study, elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment consumed drinks that were either low, intermediate or high in cocoa flavanol. Cognitive function — including executive function, short-term and long-term memory, processing speed and overall thinking skills — was tested after eight weeks. Scores improved in patients who drank intermediate and high levels of flavanol."
And from the Cleveland Clinic, a report on chocolate's antioxidant's health benefits:
"Antioxidants are believed to help the body's cells resist damage caused by free radicals that are formed by normal bodily processes, such as breathing, and from environmental contaminants, like cigarette smoke. If your body does not have enough antioxidants to combat the amount of oxidation that occurs, it can become damaged by free radicals. For example, an increase in oxidation can cause low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as "bad" cholesterol, to form plaque on the artery walls."
