Most of us love chocolates. It could be a comfort food to pick me up and get energized.
Exciting new studies were presented last week at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting in San Diego advocating the benefits of eating dark chocolates with a minimum of 70% cacao.
1. It can support cognitive, endocrine and cardiovascular health.
2. It can have positive effects on:
a) stress levels
b) inflammation
c) mood
d) memory
e) immunity
Sounds like a panacea? According to Lee Berk, principal investigator for the study and an associate dean of research affairs at Loma Linda University's School of Allied Health Professions, “participants were given a 48-gram bar of dark chocolate at the beginning of one experiment and then ate a piece of dark chocolate every two hours they were awake, for several days.”
The next step to the research is how much dark chocolate someone should eat to affect brain function. The research is not affiliated with any chocolate companies.
So enjoy chocolates but try to adhere to dark ones. J.J. prefers milk chocolate but perhaps now I could persuade him to shift to dark chocolate.
Aloha -- Cathi
