The Bright Side of Dark Chocolates

Chocolates are known to be high in calories and high in fats. That’s why eating too much chocolate can raise blood cholesterol level and makes you gain weight. And the fact that chocolates contain insufficient fiber, you won’t feel full.

Dark chocolates are known to have less fat than milk chocolates and are also known to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants polish off free radicals – unstable compound that can damage healthy cells.

If you have high blood pressure, a daily bar-sized serving of flavonol-rich dark chocolate might lower your blood pressure and improve insulin resistance, researchers report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

According to some researches, adding milk to chocolate can decrease or eliminate its antioxidant properties.

"Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate ... and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate." - Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome.