Yes you read that right!
Dark chocolate is packed full of 2 anti ageing antioxidants, flavanols and ployphonols, which can help prevent premature ageing, as a 12 week double blind trial in 2014, published in the Nutrition Journal, showed that patients who consumed it had firmer skin, less sun damage & increased hydration than those in the placebo group!
This is because dark chocolate is filled with a high amount of cellular repairing agents like magnesium & vitamin C, as well as antioxidants, in fact it has 40 times as much antioxidants as blueberries!
Dark chocolate also contains a compound called reversatrol which scientists believe has anti ageing properties. Dr Eva Latrobe of University of Exeter, couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw cells in a culture dish rejuvenating and looking like young cells again when reversatrol was added!
Dark chocolate is full of iron, zinc and copper which repair skin and it’s anti inflammatory too so helps with rosacea, eczema and psoriasis.
It also contains theobromine which boosts seratonin, the happy hormone, and reduces stress plus tryptophan which is an anti depressant.
Professor Alyn Morice, head of cardiovascular & respiratory studies at the university of Hull found that chocolate is actually a more effective medicine for coughs than over the counter drugs, as there’s an alkaloid in cocoa that better at suppressing coughs than codeine!
Other studies have shown that cacao may improve heart health, circulation, cognitive function, energy levels, blood pressure, obesity & even prevent tooth decay according to a 2013 study in oral health & dentistry.
Normal chocolate has been so chemically processed that most of these benefits are removed so choose chocolate with at least 70% cocoa or even better raw. My favourites are @greenandblacks @boojabooja and Irish brand @_nobo_ which means no cow (bó) so it’s vegan too.
Happy Sunday, I’m off to have my 2 ounces of dark chocolate with a cup of green tea, another anti ager!
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