If you consider yourself to be a “chocoholic,” there is some beneficial news for you: some chocolate is not only not as unhealthy as previously suggested, but numerous doctors now actually inspire the populace to devour it. One specific type of chocolate can be beneficial to your gums, eyes, heart, arteries and even your entire immune system. It can also help lower cholesterol levels and balance both blood pressure and blood sugar. However, before you run out to buy candy bars in bulk, know that not just any type of chocolate will yield such benefits.

Dark chocolate, created from natural cocoa beans, has been recommended for consumption even up to three times a day. This is because the cocoa bean is the food with the highest levels of antioxidants ever, which protect the body from oxidative stress involved with aging. Other foods, such as red wine, tea, and select few fruits and vegetables also offer similar health benefits, but cocoa still tops them all when it comes to the sheer number of antioxidants. These antioxidant compounds are called flavanols, which presumably give dark chocolate its health benefits.

Ironically, flavanols actually taste very bitter, so many companies that make candy bars take out most of the flavanols to make the chocolate taste better. This obviously strips the chocolate of most of its health benefits. Furthermore, there is no way of knowing which candy bar is healthiest, as companies do not indicate how many flavanols are left in the final product. This is why buying dark chocolate candy bars simply to get the health effects may not work.

Also keep in mind that milk chocolate does not render the same health perks. The darker the chocolate, the more flavonoids containing flavanols there are, meaning that milk chocolate offers fewer health benefits than dark chocolate. Clearly this indicates that white chocolate offers even fewer; in fact, it contains no flavonoids.

The best way to take advantage of the health benefits offered in dark chocolate is to buy the darkest chocolate available with the least amount of added ingredients, perhaps from a health food store. Another option is to buy one of the recent products in which dark chocolate is infused with the a? berry, an antioxidant that helps reduce heart and vascular disease. Dark chocolate and a? go together well because both have a magnitude of antioxidants, and aça?elps flavanol-filled dark chocolate taste delicious.

But even if you find such a product, realize that it is not a wonder drug. Despite its health benefits, dark chocolate still contains calories and some fat, and an excess of either is unhealthy. Even too many dark chocolate and a? products can be harmful. This is why doctors recommend some dark chocolate, red wine, or other treats that have some health benefits daily, but do advise patients to limit their intake, as too much of anything can be detrimental.

Free Acai Trial Offer

Timothy Prahl asked:


of this 2 part series exploring the potential health benefits of organic dark chocolate for the current or pre-diabetic, we focused on the very high concentrations of ‘flavanols’ in cocoa and their positive effect for a healthy cardiovascular system. We will now look at several specific studies and their results relating to diabetes control.

By introducing a consistent, high quality source of the flavanols found in dark chocolate, insulin function is improved, blood sugar is better controlled, blood pressure is lowered, and the threat of blood sugar build up and pre-diabetes is lessened.

A recent study at the University of L’Aquila in Italy confirmed these vascular effects. Over a 15 day period, 15 healthy test subjects were given 100g of a typical dark chocolate, (with 500 mg of flavonoids), and 15 others were given 100g of white chocolate (which has NO measurable flavonoids).

After a 7 day washout period following the first test, the groups were reversed and tested for another 15 days. At the end of each period, oral glucose tolerance tests were performed to calculate the insulin resistance and the quantitative insulin sensitivity. Systolic blood pressure was also checked.

Davide Grassi published the results in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”:

“Dark, but not white, chocolate decreases blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons.”

“Nitric oxide bioavailability deeply influences insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and vascular tone.”

“These findings indicate that dark chocolate may exert a protective action on the vascular endothelium also by improving insulin sensitivity”.

A sidebar of note for current or pre-diabetics.

Obesity is a known risk factor for insulin resistance. Cocoa powder (the origin of dark chocolate) has been proven to be an effective appetite suppressant. A check of the ingredients on the label of many of the popular diet supplements will list cocoa powder high on the list.

So, a portion of good quality dark chocolate before a meal will not only provide your vascular system with a needed antioxidant boost, but you may also gain benefit against the ‘battle of the bulge’.

Another healthy dark chocolate fact for diabetics is the type of fat contained in cocoa.

Two thirds of the fats in dark chocolate are ‘heart healthy’. A study published in “Free Radical Biology Medicine” found that dark chocolate “actually increased HDL (good cholesterol) concentrations and reduced the oxidation of the total cholesterol”.

Where do you find ‘quality’ Healthy Dark Chocolate?

MXI Corporation’s “Xocai” dark chocolate products are independently tested and have the highest antioxidant ratings. (Using the United States Department of Agriculture’s Standardized Antioxidant Value System)

They use an exclusive, patented, cold pressed process that eliminates the ROASTING procedure, and significantly increases antioxidant retention. Of note to diabetics, their products are supplemented with acai berries and blueberries (both with very high antioxidant concentrations), and sweetened with low glycemic, natural ingredients (no raw sugars).

Dagoba dark chocolate products are also an excellent choice. Like Xocai, they are all organic, and while roasted, they are sweetened with unrefined cane sugar, not processed white sugar. As a comparison, a Hershey’s “Healthy” Special Dark Chocolate bar tips the scales at 21 grams of sugar, while Dagoba has only 4 grams.

South Beach Diet offers dark chocolate products that are low on sugar content and have a high percentage of cocoa powder. These products are combined with other healthy natural ingredients to increase their nutritional value.

Most quality, organic, healthy dark chocolate is available only on the Internet. This allows consumers worldwide to shop and compare a variety of these delicious, nutritious products. This also allows the home based entrepreneur the opportunity to take advantage of this highly desirable, rapidly expanding, international market.

If you don’t have the time or patience to shop online, then dark chocolate straight from the store shelves is still an option.

However, it is suggested that you check the ingredient list of the various products available, and select one that has cocoa or cocoa powder listed as the first ingredient. Unfortunately, many dark chocolate products that you will find have ’sugar’ listed as the primary ingredient.

Enjoy your healthy dark chocolate in moderation, and, if diabetic, even with this encouraging information regarding antioxidants and healthy dark chocolate, please continue to monitor your personal situation and, if indicated, consult with your physician.



Click Here To Try Out The Acai Berries Diet For Free