Ten Reasons To Eat More Chocolate

We know by now that consuming chocolate is good for our health. Even without knowing its nutritional and medicinal benefits, we still chow the dark matter down, no? In the past, chocolate has even been used to cure certain diseases. Here's some of the ten reasons to eat more chocolates, backed by research too, that may prove useful to us now.

2. Improves blood flow to brain - a University of Nottingham professor found that drinking cocoa drinks rich in flavanols improves blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours. Flavanols in the cocoa drink are a key ingredient of dark chocolate. Professor Macdonald's study also suggested that cocoa flavanols in chocolate may enhance brain function to help fight sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the effects of ageing.

3. Boosts mood - MSNBC reported that caffeine and other chemicals in dark chocolate can improve your mood and ease premenstrual symptoms. Mark's Daily Apple wrote that the chemical phenylethylamine in chcolate has been found to trigger feelings similar to "falling in love."

7. Helps ease chronic fatigue syndrome - a study found that adults with chronic fatigue syndrome who eat 1.5 ounces of 85% cocoa dark chocolate were less fatigued after they eat chocolate.

10. Eases a persistent cough - a UK study found that theobromine, a component in cocoa, may be more effective as a cough medicine than standard drug treatments. The research showed that "theobromine acts on the sensory nerve endings of the vagus nerve, which runs through the airways in the lungs to the brain."

I've been feeling under the weather for awhile now. I guess I need to go out and grab myself some chocolates now. Anyone else need a bar or two? ;)