New Study confirms,Eat All the Dark Chocolate You Want!

Love dark chocolate and been think you've been conned into eating it because it's "healthy."

I know, my friends and family laughed at me, too.  But it's true; a new study has confirmed it.  

Turns out certain bacteria in the stomach "gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart," newswise.com reports.

“We found that there are two kinds of microbes in the gut: the ‘good’ ones and the ‘bad’ ones,” explained Maria Moore, an undergraduate student and one of the study’s researchers, at newswise.com.

“The good microbes. . . feast on chocolate,” she added. “When you eat dark chocolate, they grow and ferment it, producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory. When these compounds are absorbed by the body, they lessen the inflammation of cardiovascular tissue, reducing the long-term risk of stroke,” said John Finley, Ph.D., who led the work.

He noted that cocoa powder, an ingredient in chocolate, contains several antioxidant compounds and a small amount of dietary fiber. Both components are poorly digested and absorbed, but when they reach the colon, the desirable microbes take over. “In our study we found that the fiber is fermented and the large antioxidant polymers are metabolized to smaller molecules, which are more easily absorbed. These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity,” he said.

What's the big deal with inflammation?  For one thing, it can lead to cancer, and, of course, heart attack and stroke.  So why wouldn't you want something that it in your body?

Finley said that people could experience even more health benefits when dark chocolate is combined with solid fruits like pomegranates and acai.

Sn now you can have your chocolate, and eat it, too.