Continued from page 1
Despite all
good news on cocoa not raising LDL cholesterol, even dark chocolate is a very calorie-dense food, so while
fat content may not invite heart disease or clogging of
arteries, its regular consumption will add a lot of extra calories to someone's daily total. In fact, many chocolate bars list sugar as
number one ingredient. And as we all know lots of white refined sugar is not going to help you keep your waistline nice and slim. Remember obesity is a serious risk factor for developing heart disease.
Concerning cholesterol, new and yet-to-be-published studies are showing that some antioxidants contained in chocolate, in particular dark chocolate and cocoa powder, may actually increase "good" (HDL) cholesterol levels by as much as 10 percent.
In
studies,
selected people ate 22 grams of cocoa powder and 16 grams of dark chocolate every day The result: Their "bad" (LDL) cholesterol was less susceptible to oxidation, a process that normally leads to artery-clogging plaques. While many people take vitamins and other antioxidants to help prevent plaque development,
study shows that cocoa could help.
In summary, whether chocolate and heart health do walk hand in hand is still an open topic, however, in moderation it won’t do your heart any harm, however, watch those calories. Most of all, enjoy it cause it tastes so good!

Nicholas Webb is the author and webmaster of the site www.AllAbout-Heart-Disease.com that offers user-friendly articles, tips and advice for avoiding heart disease and living your life to the full!