The Belgian post made a gift not only to philatelists, but also to sweet lovers, releasing "chocolate" brands. The taste of this confectionery product was added to the base of the brand in the form of essential cocoa oils, which is felt during licking. Paint also exudes the aroma of chocolate. With confidence, we can say that the entire circulation of "tasty" brands will be sold out in the shortest time possible. In general, chocolate is not only delicious, but also useful. It contains elements that promote psychological recovery and stress relief. Particularly useful bitter chocolate - it stimulates the release of endorphins, which improve mood and maintain a tone. But that's not all. It turns out.

chocolate invigorates.

Cocoa beans, which make chocolate, contain caffeine. In moderate doses, caffeine increases mental and physical performance, makes it possible to respond better to changes in the situation (positive conditioned reflexes increase), reduce the feeling of fatigue and drowsiness. In addition, chocolate has a lot of glucose - the main source of "fuel" for our body.

chocolate improves mood.

Cocoa beans are an excellent source of tryptophan, an amino acid that is needed for the synthesis in our brain of serotonin, which is called the "hormone of happiness". With stress in the body, stocks of serotonin deplete. The result is a depressed mood, a breakdown. And even a poor state of health: when the serotonin decreases, the sensitivity of the body's pain system increases, that is, even a mild irritation responds with severe pain. Chocolate stimulates the production of serotonin, boosting the mood.

chocolate slows down skin aging.

Every day eating black chocolate, you can slow the aging of the skin, scientists in the UK. In the course of the study, they found out: several pieces of black chocolate a day slow down the process of destruction of collagen fibers and improve the metabolism in our skin. This is due to the high content of strong antioxidants - flavonoids. In addition, black chocolate reduces the risk of developing one of the most dangerous types of cancer - melanoma.

chocolate saves from diabetes and obesity.

Dark chocolate reduces the risk of diabetes and obesity, researchers at the Karolinska Institute (Sweden). They conducted an experiment and found that eating dark chocolate does not cause a significant increase in blood sugar and produce a large amount of insulin. Scientists even recorded a decrease in the incidence of type 2 diabetes and a slight decrease in body weight among people who regularly received dark chocolate. According to scientists, the beneficial effect of dark chocolate is associated with the antioxidants contained in it - flavonoids. In the course of the study, another interesting fact emerged: it turns out that white chocolate is the least useful for men, while for women it is milk.

dark chocolate helps to lose weight.

Dark chocolate reduces cravings for harmful products, scientists from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). This product is not only rich in antioxidants, but also reduces the craving for fatty, sweet and salty. In the course of the experiment, scientists began to wonder how the consumption of dark and milk chocolate affects the body of young people who did not eat anything for 12 hours. After another 5 hours, subjects were given a full meal. It turned out that a 100-gramme of dark chocolate tiles not only quenches hunger, but also reduces appetite, which can not be said about milk chocolate. So, after the black chocolate, volunteers ate much less food, and what is especially important, ate very little salted, sweet and fatty. According to scientists, dark chocolate helps reduce calorie consumption by 15%.

chocolate is good for the heart and blood vessels.

The study, conducted by scientists from the University of San Diego, showed that dark chocolate containing flavanols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties is good for the heart. 30 volunteers used 51 g of black chocolate (70% cocoa) and the same amount of white milk chocolate (0% cocoa) for 15 days. Participants measured blood pressure, blood flow and circulation in the blood before and after the experiment.

Tests showed that those who ate black chocolate had a higher level of "good" cholesterol.

But all researchers agree on one thing: with chocolate it is important not to overdo it. Firstly, it is recommended to eat not white or milk, namely black quality chocolate with a cocoa content of not less than 70%, preferably - without sweet additives like wafers or caramels. Secondly, and with such chocolate it is necessary to exercise moderation, because it has a lot of calories. Optimum "dose" - 30-50 grams per day.

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