The raw material for the manufacture of chocolate is cocoa. This plant has health benefits as well as with other dark plants of its kind. The benefits of chocolate come from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Food Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals that cause damage can generate heart disease.

The black chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times that found in strawberries and strawberry). Flavonoids also help lower blood pressure through the action of nitric oxide, also balance levels of some hormones in the body.

The black chocolate is especially good for the heart, so if you consume a small bar journal helps you stay healthy cardiovascular system. Two other benefits of black chocolate are cholesterol-lowering “bad” cholesterol, by up to 10%, stimulates production of endorphins, giving a sensation of pleasure, promotes the generation of serotonin in the nervous system, which manages to smooth the depressive symptoms and among its components are theobromine and caffeine, and other exciting character.

While chocolate contains fat, only a third have the ability to negatively impact your cholesterol levels. The composition of the fat in chocolate is divided into 1 / 3 of oleic acid, 1 / 3 stearic acid and 1 / 3 palmitic acid.

Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil, as indicated by its name.

Stearic acid is a saturated fat, but studies have shown to have a neutral effect on cholesterol.

Palmitic acid also belongs to saturated fats, responsible for high levels of blood cholesterol. This is the component that you control when you eat only small portions of chocolate.

As you can see are the benefits of chocolate that its disadvantages, however should you have in mind that any excess is harmful, so no matter how much help health food, if it uses exclusively, unbalanced diet with other cause damage to the body.