HERE U GO CHOCOLATE LOVERS

FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE CHOCOLATES

The news the world has awaited with bated breath is finally here: Cocoa prevents cancer and heart disease. Candy producer Mars Inc. along with Harvard University, released the results of a 10-year study revealing that cocoa – rather, the flavanols in cocoa – can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

The study compared the death certificates of 1,250 Kuna Indians in Panama and in the San Blas Islands just off Panama's coast. The Panama Kunas did not consume cocoa regularly, while the San Blas Kunas drank four to five cups of cocoa water per day. The study revealed that the San Blas Kunas, who drank the cocoa water, had a 1,280 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than the Panama Kunas, and a 630 percent lower risk of death from cancer.

In the United States, where heart disease and cancer are the top two causes of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is fantastic news. Cocoa, which chocolate is made from, can significantly help in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

But don't leap to the wrong conclusions and think that chocolate candy is good medicine. Most chocolate in the United States packs a sizeable dose of sugar and milk fat to make it sweet and delicious, and thereby desired by most consumers. Eating milk chocolate bars, for example, will not help you prevent cancer or heart disease nearly as well as eating darker chocolate, because adding dairy products to chocolate effectively cancels out the healthy antioxidants in the cocoa itself. It may taste good, but it's largely useless as far as preventing cancer and heart disease. In fact, even eating some popular brands of dark chocolate will not help you prevent these diseases, since they, too, are often loaded with sugar and milk fats.

How Chocolate Fights Cancer

The great news is that in addition to being decadent and delicious, moderate amounts of dark chocolate may play a role in cancer prevention.

New studies reveals that dark chocolate’s substances, which behave as antioxidants (flavanols, catechins and epicatechins), have been revealed to play a role in decreasing cancer risks by helping to fight cell damage which could bring about tumor growth. Chocolate fights cancer.

Flavanols in chocolate fights cancer?

These antioxidants occur naturally in the plant-based cacao bean, the base of all chocolate products. Cacao beans are, actually, one of the most concentrated natural sources of antioxidants which exist. The flavanols may be the help as chocolate fights cancer.

“Dark chocolate has a higher percentage of healthy antioxidants, without the increased sugar and saturated fats added to milk chocolate”.

Chocolate has been a favorite food for centuries, according to the American Dietetic Association. It has become a symbol for love, indulgence, temptation and now, we can justify it for its health attributes. And if, as studies are showing, chocolate fights cancer it will become an even bigger symbol of health.

Darker Chocolate Packs a Punch: The main reason that eating dark chocolate, versus milk or white chocolate fights cancer risks is because it has a higher percentage of cacao, and thus antioxidants.
As the cacao content goes up, there also is less room for sugar. Flavanols are what are believed to be the active antioxidants in the battle as chocolate fights cancer.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, people should aim for pure dark chocolate that contains at least 65 percent cacao, as opposed to the kind of chocolate commonly used in cakes and cookies, which contain more calories, sugar and unhealthy fats.
When eating chocolate, looking at portion size and calorie content also is crucial. Recommended servings for regular dark chocolate are seven ounces per week, which is about one ounce per day. And for a high antioxidant diet using  cold pressed healthy chocolate, perhaps three times a day.

Savoring a small amount of dark chocolate is much better than gulping soft drinks or eating doughnuts. Remember, although  dark chocolate fights cancer, it is still a calorie-dense food that may be high in fat. Perhaps it is part of your high antioxidant chocolate diet.

A person can enjoy dark chocolate daily within a balanced diet

• Choose dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage (65 percent or higher).
• Buy chocolate to be eaten in small portions, like individually wrapped chocolate (about 1 oz per serving).
• Keep your portion size in check.

• Check the ingredients. Make sure they don’t contain fats, such as palm and coconut oils
• They are made without the use of ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ oils.
• Be sure the chocolate has all the flavanols  (it should have flavanol count on package or it’s not right)
• It is cold-pressed dark chocolate

Now there is yet another study showing high antioxidant diets that include healthy dark chocolate fights cancer.