Chocolate and its powerful effects to reduce cholesterol

Chocolate and its powerful effects to reduce cholesterol

High cholesterol is increasingly common in men and women of all ages, especially when we consider the rise of obesity cases in children and young people. And what is high cholesterol? It is a condition consisting of the accumulation of lipids or fats along all the arteries and veins of our body which can have the most negative effect on our health.

This situation can then result in other cardiovascular diseases more serious as heart insufficiencies and even heart attacks.

Given this, the best we can do to avoid high cholesterol is to eat a healthy and balanced diet in all kinds of vitamins, minerals so present in many vegetables, fruits and meats and fish.

To all this we must also join a daily physical activity and constant to help us reduce blood cholesterol levels and to ultimately gain quality of life while taking care of our line.

Although it should also be noted that there are all kinds of foods that can help us reduce or even prevent this condition. Among all of them, the following stand out:

• Soy milk This food contains a series of essential amino acids that can also help us to reduce the blood cholesterol levels also known as isoflavones.
• Olive oil. The Mediterranean diet would not be what it is without this delicious and healthy without this "liquid gold". It should also be noted that olive oil contains powerful antioxidants, among which are the polyphenols that promote a reduction of LDL cholesterol.
• Chocolate. Chocolate is not only an explosion of sweet taste in our palate that turns out to be completely irresistible. It also provides all kinds of advantages for our body and can even help us fight stress and anxiety. To all this we must also add its benefits when it comes to reducing blood cholesterol. And then we will tell you why.

How can chocolate reduce blood cholesterol?

Everyone could think that chocolate has the most negative effect on blood cholesterol levels due to its high sugar content. In fact, in just 100 grams of chocolate will find a caloric intake of more than 500, especially from the fats that exist when making this cacao candy.

However, there is some data to be optimistic. One third of this fat coming from chocolate has what is known as stearic acid, a component that has a direct effect when it comes to reducing blood cholesterol levels.

Likewise, it should also be noted that chocolate contains high content of monounsaturated oleic acid which also reduces considerably what is commonly known as LDL cholesterol (or bad cholesterol).

Finally, it has also been concluded that these two acids, apart from reducing blood cholesterol levels, have antioxidant effects that will prevent the appearance of thrombi in the veins and arteries and can also prevent some diseases like arteriosclerosis.

Have you noticed the amount of advantages offered by taking chocolate? However, we should not abuse their consumption either. And from here we recommend Do not take more than 40 grams a day with the goal not to neglect our line and always opt for the dark chocolate. From here, you will be "ready" to enjoy chocolate in a healthy and delicious way.

Data to keep in mind about chocolate

You should know that any chocolate is not worth, since it is a better option to take one that has a high content of cocoa (more than 70%), since in this way you can take advantage of all its benefits and properties of chocolate. Of course, you should moderate your consumption.

Therefore, the best option is always to opt for dark chocolate, since the purer the chocolate, the greater its contribution of cocoa, and therefore, its benefits and properties will be equally greater.

Other heart-healthy benefits of chocolate: prevents stroke and heart disease

That he chocolate, as long as it is not consumed in excess and if it is done on a regular basis, it is a nutritious as well as healthy food. There would be practically no room for doubts, especially if we talk about dark chocolate, as they have been confirming a wide diversity of scientific studies over the previous years. These studies showed the different qualities that chocolate provides when it comes to take care of our cardiovascular health, thanks especially to your wealth in polyphenols.

Moreover, both these studies and the nutritionists themselves established that the most advisable when it comes to enjoying the benefits of dark chocolate on the one hand, and that it would not be a problem for our line on the other, was consuming about 25 grams of chocolate maximum per day. However a recent study published in the journal 'Heart' recently not only increases that amount, but again confirms its qualities for our cardiovascular health.

According to the results of this investigation, Eating up to 100 grams of chocolate daily is linked to having a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. And they are even clearer in stating that, apparently, there is in fact no evidence that reducing chocolate consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. That is, while a moderate and regular consumption would help, its reduction according to dietary parameters (as for example to the line), would not be so beneficial in this regard.

These researchers base their conclusions on around 21,000 adults who participated in the study 'EPIC-Norfolk', which analyzes the impact of diet on long-term health in 25,000 men and women in Norfolk (England). For this, they use lifestyle questionnaires and food frequency. On the other hand, they also carried out a systematic review of the different scientific studies that in previous moments had endorsed the relationship between chocolate and cardiovascular diseases, with the participation of about 158,000 people.

The calculations showed that those who consumed more chocolate compared to those who did not had an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as 25% less associated death. A significantly lower risk of stroke or coronary heart disease was also observed among those who consumed chocolate regularly.

According to the results, the researchers are clear: " Accumulated evidence suggests that higher chocolate intake is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events" And, apparently, these results are not only associated with dark chocolate, but also milk chocolate, since in the words of scholars, "not only flavonoids, but also other compounds, possibly related to milk, such as calcium and fatty acids, can provide an explanation for the association observed. " This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesChocolate