Chocolate

Health Line Chocolate and Heart Disease: Some Good News.

The First Solid Chocolate became an available in The United States in 18th century. The First Chocolate bar appeared around 1910. In 1998 we consumed 3.3 billion pounds of chocolate or more than 12 pounds per persons (Leslie Chelsy, 2002). Since chocolate was valued for it stimulating effect, it became standard issue for the U.S. armed farces during word war II. Today, giving fine chocolates as an expression of love is a long standing tradition. What would Valentine 's Day be without chocolate? Also, some study suggests that some chocolate may be good for the heart.

It is true that chocolate is rich in saturated fatty acids, villains when it comes to raising cholesterol and attach our coronary arteries. The main component of cocoa butter is a fatty acid known as stearic acid, which is rapidly converted in the liver to oleic acid, a monounsaturated that neither raises or Lowers Serum cholesterol. For example, one study found that healthy young men on a 26 days diet in which a 37 percent of calories come from cocoa butter had no increase in their serum cholesterol and their cholesterol levels were no higher than if they had been on a diet in which the fat came from olive oil.

Recent research suggests that chocolate may even protect arteries from disease cocoa powder has been found to contain flavonoids, a type of phytochemical that is also

present in red wine, green tea, peanuts, cranberries, strawberries, apples and many other fruits and vegetables. Flavonoids act as antioxidants, the lower the probability that artery-clogging cells will develop. Nutritionist has discovered that flavonoids are known to function as antioxidants in blood stream. The greater the level of antioxidants, the lower the probability that artery-clogging cells will develop. For example, a 1.5 0nce piece of chocolate contains approximately the same amount