Everybody loves chocolate right? Did you know that the Mayas thought “a cocoa drink prepared with hot water” was the “Food of the Gods”.  

In recent years, interest in the health effects of chocolate has increased.  Cocoa bean is one of the best-known sources of dietary polyphenols, containing more phenolic antioxidants than most foods, but it also has a high fat content. 

Chocolate exerts several effects on human sexuality, mainly acting as an aphrodisiac. No wonder its so popular.

A meta-analysis(a study of multilabel studies) found that chocolate reduced  both blood pressure and serum insulin levels.

A systematic review suggested that regular chocolate use (<100 g/week) may be linked with reduced cardiovascular risk, and that the most appropriate dose of chocolate consumption was 45 g/week, since higher levels might counteract the health benefits due to adverse effects linked with elevated sugar consumption

A limited amount of chocolate consumption may be beneficial to health but more study is needed.

Reference: Montagna MT, Diella G, Triggiano F. et. al. Chocolate, “Food of the Gods”: History, Science, and Human Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 6;16(24):4960.