Custom Chocolate, Benefits And Health Factors
By Christopher Carter
If you're pregnant, you may be happy to know that chocolate cravings may be good for you. New research shows morning sickness lowers the risk of miscarriage by almost 70 percent -- and eating chocolate daily also appears to lower the risk of miscarriage.
Chocolate is a genuine healing food. It helps prevent cancer, boosts liver function and improves moods and energy. The key, though, is getting real cacao, not the candied chocolate that's mostly sugar and milk fat. When shopping for a chocolate bar, look for a cacao content of 75 percent or higher, and always buy organic chocolate.
Researchers from a new study said that chocolate also made pregnant women feel well enough to "fly or to have sex." When it came to morning sickness, the researchers said that the worse the nausea, the better.
In addition, the study revealed that there was no evidence that working full time had a worse effect on the risk of miscarriage than part-time work or staying at home -- even if the job involved standing for more than six hours day or heavy lifting. Women who stated that their jobs were stressful or demanding were significantly more likely to miscarry in the first three months of pregnancy, however.
The study also concluded that women were more likely to miscarry if the baby's father was older than 45, and women who were underweight when they conceived were 72 percent more likely to miscarry in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
It can be a very distressing experience for women, and any advice on how they can improve their chances of achieving a full-term pregnancy is likely to be welcome. The causes for the majority of miscarriages ''are not wholly understood'' -- and many suspected risk factors remain controversial or unproven.
Cocoa in custom chocolate reduces high blood pressure but tea does not, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers from the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany compared the results of 10 different studies, five examining the effects of cocoa on blood pressure, and five examining the effects of tea. Both cocoa and tea are high in plant compounds called flavonoids, which prior studies have linked to reduced cholesterol levels and blood clotting risk.

In the five cocoa studies, conducted between 1966 and 2006, consumption of cocoa caused a lowering of blood pressure by an average of 4.7/2.8 mm Hg. In the five tea studies, no significant change was observed.

"This suggests that the different plant phenols must be differentiated with respect to their blood pressure-lowering potential and thus cardiovascular disease prevention," the researchers wrote.

Tea is higher in the type of flavonoid called flavan-3-ols, while cocoa is higher in procyanids. The researchers said that the level of blood-pressure reduction observed in the cocoa studies would be sufficient to reduce the risk of stroke by 20 percent, the risk of coronary heart disease by 10 percent and the overall risk of premature death by 8 percent.

But they warned that their results did not necessarily mean people should begin consuming large quantities of chocolate, dark or otherwise. For one thing, chocolate tends to be high in calories, and the negative effects of consuming a sugary, high-calorie food may outweigh any health benefits of the cocoa itself.

For another thing, the manner in which the studies were conducted was rather artificial and its results may not translate well into the real world. (from Custom Chocolate)

In the studies we reviewed, the blood pressure results occurred with cocoa doses above the habitual intake and were observed only in the setting of short-term interventions. It is not known whether long-term intake of small habitual amounts of cocoa ... may also cause significant blood pressure effects.

Cacao is a healing super food. But its effects go far beyond merely balancing blood pressure. Raw cacao protects the liver, brain and heart. It stabilizes mood, helps detoxify the blood and in a very real way brightens your day. Adams emphasizes that only raw, unprocessed cacao offers the best benefits, and that consumers should avoid purchasing processed chocolate products made with refined sugar or milk fat.

Larry is a copywriter of Custom Chocolates and Chocolate for Choconet1 Company.

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