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Dark
Chocolate Antioxidant – eat chocolate and don’t feel
any guilt!Free radicals are harmful substances found within the body. These harmful substances, if left unrestrained, have been linked to the cause of many diseases within the human body. These diseases include cancer, heart disease and the early aging of the body.
Common antioxidant sources
Antioxidants, as a requirement for healthy living, must be ingested from food sources and through the daily use of supplements. Major sources of antioxidants are fruits, vegetables, beans and teas.
Of special note is the benefit of dark chocolate antioxidants. It is not often that we are encouraged to eat chocolate for health reasons, but, amazingly, dark chocolate antioxidants are beneficial when eaten properly.
Dark Chocolate Antioxidant Benefits
Recent
studies strongly indicate that eating dark chocolate provides essential
antioxidants to the bloodstream. These dark chocolate antioxidants
that are provided help to protect and strengthen the heart. Found
in the cocoa bean, these dark chocolate antioxidants have been specifically
identified as epicatechin which is a type of flavonoid. A flavonoid
is a ketone that is also found in the leaves, stems, and seeds of
many plants.
Eat dark chocolate instead of broccoli!
In fact, test studies revealed that those individuals who ate dark chocolate antioxidants had an increase of antioxidants in their bloodstream. The level of increase of antioxidants, in the bloodstream, was measured at a significant increase of 20%. Therefore, a moderate diet of dark chocolate can be just as healthy and helpful as a diet consisting of leafy vegetables.
Milk Destroys the Effect Dark Chocolate Antioxidant
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However, there is one precaution when wishing to receive the maximum healthful benefits of dark chocolate antioxidants. That precaution is not drinking milk when eating dark chocolate or for that matter any other food item that is replete with antioxidants.
Additional studies on those individuals who had eaten dark chocolate antioxidants, revealed that the benefit of eating dark chocolate antioxidants was negated when milk was drank separately or was part of the dark chocolate mixture. Specifically, when the level of antioxidants in the bloodstream was measured after eating milk chocolate or milk with their dark chocolate there was no increase in the epicatechim level. The conjecture of this study is that the food molecules of milk adheres to the epicatechins and prevents the assimilation of the flavonoids.
Therefore, the study concluded that when eating dark chocolate antioxidants or other richly saturated antioxidant products, it is important not to drink milk. This will allow for the full absorption and benefit of the antioxidants within those food products.