Give Your Brain & Heart a Boost on World Chocolate Day
Tom Pfeifer's Blog
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July 7, 2017
To prepare for this post, I ate a couple of Snickers Minis.
Today is World Chocolate Day. Chocolate is good
for the heart and brain, studies show, so if you
have been avoiding it to slim down you just may
have a stupid heart attack. It also reduces stress
in women, which is why chocolate is a popular
and heartwarming Valentine’s Day gift.
Forget why you walked into a room? Drink a cup
or two of hot chocolate. Harvard Medical School
scientists found that drinking two cups of hot
chocolate a day reduces memory decline in old
folks. It apparently increases blood flow to the
brain for two to three hours. But you don’t have
to be a geezer to enjoy the benefits. Flavonoids
in chocolate have been shown to increase brain
power in youngin’s too.
A study conducted in Denmark found consumption of dark chocolate results in a significantly lower risk of being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a dangerous type of irregular heartbeat. The study didn’t say you wouldn’t develop it, only that you won’t be diagnosed with it. Ignorance is bliss, right?
Speaking of bliss, chocolate also is associated with increased endorphins, that feel-good brain chemical. It triggers a neurotransmitter similar to consuming marijuana. A legal high in all states! (Keep this quiet though so the government doesn’t feel a need to regulate or outlaw it.) Chocolate is so powerful that its buzz lasts longer than the most passionate kiss, according to one study.
Which doesn’t mean chocolate will slow you down in bed. The compound theobromine in chocolate is thought to make it a mild aphrodisiac.
Chocolate also contains a substantial amount of magnesium, which reduces stress by suppressing the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
So stop stressing about eating chocolate and instead embrace its benefits to your brain and heart. Give it to a lover and you just may get lucky tonight. World Chocolate Day: Valentine’s Day in July.
Resources:
Sunni, Ahmed Al, and Rabia Latif. "Effects of chocolate intake on Perceived Stress; a Controlled Clinical Study." International Journal of Health Sciences. October 2014. Accessed July 07, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350893/.
Alban, Deane. "9 Brain Boosting Benefits of Dark Chocolate." Be Brain Fit. June 19, 2017. Accessed July 07, 2017. https://bebrainfit.com/brain-benefits-dark-chocolate/.
"Health | Chocolate 'better than kissing'." BBC News. April 16, 2007. Accessed July 07, 2017. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6558775.stm.
Nordqvist, Joseph. "Chocolate: Health Benefits, Facts, and Research." Medical News Today. June 1, 2016. Accessed July 07, 2017. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270272.php.
"Study strengthens case for heart benefit in chocolate." Harvard Gazette. June 26, 2017. Accessed July 07, 2017. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/06/study-strengthens-case-for-heart-benefit-in-chocolate/.
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Tom Pfeifer is the managing partner and chief strategist for Consistent Voice Communications and author of Write It, Speak It: Writing a Speech They’ll APPLAUD! Reach him at Tom@YourConsistentVoice.com.