Do you know why dark chocolates are beneficial?

Prof. Know Why answers:

Chocolates are always yummy, delicious and irresistible, especially with girls and kids. And now, they also seem to be beneficial for your health because a daily dose of yummy dark chocolate may help patients suffering from the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Serotonin (a brain chemical related to CFS) is believed to play an important role in the regulation of anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, appetite and fatigue. According to scientists from Hull York Medical School, dark chocolates have been found to lower levels of serotonin. The research team said that patients with CFS, found that their symptoms were reduced when they consumed dark chocolate, much more so when they consumed milk chocolate that had brown dye added to it. The researchers noted that patients taking dark chocolate reported significantly less fatigue when they started eating the sweet. They also reported more fatigue when they stopped eating it. The scientists, however, stressed that the quantity of dark chocolate consumed should be moderate.

Endocrinologists say, dark chocolate is high in polyphenols, which have been associated with health benefits, like reduction in blood pressure. Also, high polyphenols appear to improve levels of serotonin in the brain , which has been linked with CFS.

According to doctors and nutritionists, cocoa is rich in antioxidant properties and so consuming dark chocolate can over stimulate the nervous system, helping reducing fatigue.

So cheer up all you girls and chocolate lovers – now you have reasons to gorge on your favorite dark chocolates.

Related Posts:

• Do you know why pregnant women crave for pickles and ice creams?
• Do you know why you should drink?

Do you know why pregnant women crave for pickles and ice cream?

Prof. Know Why explains:

Pregnant women are famous for their midnight yearnings for pickles and ice cream. And the desire for chocolates is the stuff of legend.

It’s tempting to believe –as many people do –that cravings are the body’s way of telling us that we are lacking a certain nutrient which the food we crave can supply. Chocolates, as the belief goes, might soothe a broken heart by replacing compounds lost in oceans of tears. But pregnant women might crave ice cream because they need calcium and pickles because they lack sodium.

Pregnant women rarely crave for fruits and vegetables. More often, they yarn for foods that are very sweet, spicy or salty. From an evolutionary standpoint, this makes sense. A craving for highly palatable foods may have been nature’s way of boosting calorie intake, ensuring a healthy pregnancy.

So would-be fathers –get ready for your sweet-heart’s sudden demand of a chocolate-ice cream in the wee hours of the night.