Good news for you chocolate lovers. Turns out your dark master, the cocoa bean, can actually help with your cardiovascular health.
A new study shows that a supplement high in flavanols- the antioxidant in chocolate- can increase the levels of Circulating Angiogenic Cells (CACs), which are cells that float through the bloodstream and fix and maintain blood vessels. They also help create new blood vessels, but in this case, we're mostly interested in that they fix the regular wear and tear that occurs on a day to day basis in your vascular system.
Like any other part of your body, the blood vessels suffer micro damage on a daily basis, like scuff marks on drywall. The CACs float around, note that damage, and fill on the hole and repair it like spackle in drywall.
When that does NOT happen, those holes and pockmarks get worse and worse, and the damaged arteries begin to fill up with plaque deposits made up of cholesterol, eventually leading to blockage of the artery. You've probably heard of this before in connection with people suffering from heart attacks- their cornonary (heart) arteries get blocked up to the point where the heart doesn't get enough blood supply and begins to suffer damage as a result.
So, flavanols in chocolate will help keep your arteries maintained and healthy, so that this process doesn't occur. Now, don't go overboard, or the calories will end up making you chubby, and look for the darkest chocolate you can find. The darker the chocolate, the more flavanols are contained within.
Source article: Chocolate for a Healthy Heart
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