heart health benefits of dark chocolate

Heart Health Benefits of

Dark Chocolate

Chocolate…

Good for your Heart? Evidence is building that cacao plant

products, especially dark chocolate, are

good for your heart.

Studies show that people who eat dark

chocolate have healthier cardiovascular

systems, including better blood

circulation, lower blood pressure,

and lower cholesterol levels.

Dark Chocolate is Mineral Rich Dark chocolate is rich in fiber and is

loaded with minerals like iron,

magnesium and copper.

The fatty acid profile of cocoa and

dark chocolate is excellent. The fats

are mostly saturated and

monounsaturated, with small

amounts of polyunsaturates.

Did You Know? A 100 gram bar of dark chocolate with

70-85% cocoa contains:

• 11 grams of fiber

• 67% of the RDA for Iron

• 58% of the RDA for Magnesium

• 89% of the RDA for Copper

• 98% of the RDA for Manganese

It also has plenty of potassium,

phosphorus, zinc and selenium.

Powers Heart & Blood Vessel Cells

Dark chocolate is loaded with organic

compounds that are biologically active

and function as antioxidants.

Antioxidants cause your blood vessels

to dilate and help to increase

circulation which increases the

amount of blood traveling throughout

your body.

Dark Chocolate May Lower Blood Pressure

The flavanols in dark chocolate produce Nitric Oxide (a gas)

that stimulates the artery linings to relax and lower resistance to

blood flow.

Helps You Meet

Cholesterol Goals

Dark chocolate improves

several important risk factors

for disease. It lowers the

susceptibility of LDL to

oxidative damage while

increasing HDL and improving

insulin sensitivity.

May Lower Your Risk

The compounds in dark chocolate

appear to be highly protective against

the oxidation of LDL.

In the long term, this should cause

much less cholesterol to lodge in the

arteries and we should see a lower

risk of heart disease.

Pick The Right Type

Dark chocolate generally contains two to three

times as much cocoa as milk chocolate, which

is where all the health benefits originate.

Milk chocolate contains more saturated fat

which is linked to higher cholesterol levels.

White chocolate is actually not chocolate at all,

it is a high calorie confection, made without

cocoa, so it doesn’t contain any of the possible

health benefits.

Try to use dark chocolate as a

replacement for other sweets! You’ll

likely eat fewer calories and less

sugar and sodium in the process.

Choose a chocolate with at least

70% cocoa beans. Or, consider using

cocoa powder, it has the highest

concentrations of flavonoids of any

dark chocolate product.