Chocolate for your Heart!
Rich, creamy, and delicious, chocolates nestled in a red-satin gift box are guaranteed to set your heart aflutter. They're also loaded with antioxidant polyphenols that guard your heart from disease by reducing "bad" LDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and unhealthy blood clotting.
Two studies suggest you have to eat the dark variety to get those benefits. Researchers found that in 12 subjects, eating 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate raised blood polyphenols by nearly 20 percent, but eating milk chocolate produced no elevation.
In another study, 13 people ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day for 2 weeks, then white chocolate with zero polyphenols for 2 weeks. During the dark-chocolate phase, their blood pressure dropped: the systolic (top) number by 5 points, the diastolic (bottom) by 2 points. White chocolate had no effect.
Two studies suggest you have to eat the dark variety to get those benefits. Researchers found that in 12 subjects, eating 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate raised blood polyphenols by nearly 20 percent, but eating milk chocolate produced no elevation.
In another study, 13 people ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day for 2 weeks, then white chocolate with zero polyphenols for 2 weeks. During the dark-chocolate phase, their blood pressure dropped: the systolic (top) number by 5 points, the diastolic (bottom) by 2 points. White chocolate had no effect.
from http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-3-61-56-3660-1,00.html
posted by Leslie @ 7:11 AM
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