Chocolate is a nutritious and healthy food, full of heart-healthy benefits. In fact, did you know that it is good for lowering cholesterol? Find out why.
High cholesterol is increasingly common in men and women of all ages, especially if we take into account the rise in obesity in children and young people. And what is high cholesterol? It is a condition consisting of the accumulation of lipids or fats throughout all the arteries and veins of our body that can have the most negative effect on our health.
This situation can later lead to other more serious cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and even heart attacks.
Given this, the best we can do to avoid high cholesterol is to eat a healthy and balanced diet in all kinds of vitamins, minerals so present in many vegetables, fruits and meat and fish.
To all this we must also add a daily and constant physical activity that helps us reduce blood cholesterol levels and so that we ultimately gain quality of life while taking care of our line.
Although it should also be noted that there are all kinds of foods that can help us reduce and even prevent this condition. Among all of them, the following should be highlighted:
- Soy milk this food contains a series of essential amino acids that can also help us reduce blood cholesterol levels, also known as isoflavones.
- Olive oil. The Mediterranean diet would not be what it is without this delicious and healthy without this “liquid gold”. It should also be noted that olive oil contains powerful antioxidants, among which the polyphenols that promote a reduction in LDL cholesterol stand out.
- Chocolate. Chocolate is not only an explosion of sweet flavor on our palate that turns out to be completely irresistible. It also provides all kinds of benefits for our body and can even help us fight stress and anxiety. To all this we must also add its benefits when it comes to reducing blood cholesterol. And then we will tell you why.
How can chocolate lower blood cholesterol?
Everyone might think that chocolate has the most negative effect on blood cholesterol levels due to its high sugar content. In fact, in just 100 grams of chocolate we will find a caloric intake of more than 500, especially from the fats that exist when making this cocoa sweet.
However, there is some data to be optimistic about. One third of this fat from chocolate has what is known as stearic acid, a component that has a direct effect in reducing blood cholesterol levels.
Likewise, it should also be noted that chocolate contains a high content of monounsaturated oleic acid that also considerably reduces what is commonly known as LDL cholesterol (or bad cholesterol).
Finally, it has also been concluded that these two acids, apart from reducing blood cholesterol levels, have antioxidant effects that will prevent the appearance of thrombi in the veins and arteries and can also prevent some diseases such as arteriosclerosis.
Have you noticed the amount of advantages that drinking chocolate offers? However, we should not abuse its consumption either. And from here we recommend not taking more than 40 grams a day in order not to neglect our line and always opt for dark chocolate. From here on, you will be “ready” to enjoy chocolate in a healthy and delicious way.
Facts to consider about chocolate
It should be known that not just any chocolate is worth it, since it is a better option to take one that has a high cocoa content (more than 70%), since in this way it is possible to take advantage of all its benefits and properties of chocolate. Of course, its consumption should be moderated.
For this reason, it is always best to opt for dark chocolate, since the purer the chocolate, the greater its contribution of cocoa, and therefore, its benefits and properties will be equally greater.
