Hello, this is Monica Reinagle. Welcome to the Nutrition Diva

podcast. It's not exactly breaking news that chocolate has health benefits.

This is some of the most popular nutrition research out there,

because it gives us an excuse to enjoy one of life's most delicious foods

with a clear conscience, or at least a good excuse.

Much of the positive research on cocoa relates to cardiovascular health.

We've seen that regular intake of cocoa flavinols is linked with lower cholesterol, reduced blood pressure,

improved blood vessel elasticity, and a reduced tendency to form blood clots.

And the news just keeps getting better.

Cocoflavinols also appear to be protective against type 2 diabetes.

And another trial found that cocoa improves the appearance of wrinkled and sun-damaged skin.

And just the other week, my colleague Dr. Gil Tolan,

from San Antonio, Texas, forwarded me two studies,

finding that the flavinels in chocolate

help protect cognitive function as we age.

And I have links to all of the studies I just mentioned in the show notes for today.

Now many of these studies suggest a dose response, which means that the benefits increase with a higher

intake of cocoa flavinols, but we're usually told to limit our consumption to just one ounce

of dark chocolate a day. It's not because the benefits peak at

that dose of flavonels, rather it's because most people like to consume their

cocoa flavonols in the form of chocolate,

which also contains a fair amount of sugar and fat.

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