10 health benefits of chocolate

1. Antioxidant: Chocolate contains flavonoids, which are a type of flavonol. What are flavonols, you might ask? Flavonals are natural compounds found in plants, and these compounds help the plants to fight off toxins and to heal themselves. Guess what? Eating lots of food with flavonols transfers those benefits to you. You do remember that chocolate in its natural state is a plant, right? The flavonoids in chocolate act as natural antioxidants in your body, helping your body's cells to fight damage, and the flavonoids even help with bad cholesterol.
2. Tooth decay: What? How in the world can chocolate fight tooth decay, especially with all that sugar. The sugar is the key. Chocolate in its natural state doesn't include sugar, and we tend to forget that because of all the candies and cakes and treats and cookies that include chocolate. But chocolate that has not had sugar added to it has natural antibacterial agents that combat tooth decay. It's adding all that sugar that can make chocolate unhealthy for you, so keep that in mind when you are seeking chocolate for health purposes and try to buy chocolates that don't have a bunch of additives like sugar and marshmallows and nuts and caramel ... I've got to stop or I'll make myself hungry! Just remember, dark chocolates usually have less sugar than milk chocolates. And white chocolate isn't really chocolate, so it doesn't count.
3. Depression: It's sometimes a joke that chocolate can put you in a better mood, but it's actually true. The carbohydrates found in chocolate raise the serotonin levels in your brain, which can make you feel happier. Chocolate also raises the level of endorphins in your brain, which can put you in a better mood. Try it. Then you decide.
4. Stroke: A study of 44,000 people who ate at least one serving of chocolate per week showed each person in the group was 22 percent less likely to suffer from a stroke than people who did not each chocolate. The results from this study, and others, will be released at the American Academy of Neurology's 2010 annual meeting.
5. Math: All you students, remember this one. A 2009 study showed that those who drank chocolate cocoa had an easier time counting and doing math. It's all those flavonoids in the chocolate helping the flow of blood to the brain. Really.
6. Blood pressure: Okay, I'm back to those flavonoids again, that natural compound found in chocolate. It also helps to reduce blood pressure. You just have to remember a little chocolate a day can be food for you, but a lot of chocolate a day is very bad for you.
7. Alertness: Feeling tired? Need something to pck you up a little? Try chocolate! It contains natural caffeine, which can give you a little extra pep.
8. Longer lifespan: This one might sound a little wacky, but a study done at the Harvard School of Public Health showed that people who ate chocolate at least three times a month tended to live at least a year longer than people who at a lot of junk food. I'm thinking just staying away from the junk food would do the job, but hey, adding a little chocolate could be fun, too.
9. Coughing: Chocolate contains a stimulant called theobromine which has been shown to help reduce the coughing reflex. But this theobromine cannot be digested by dogs, which is why you should never feed chocolate to a dog.
10. Menopause: Some studies have suggested chocolate helps to ease the symptoms of menopause and PMS. Even if those studies would happen to be incorrect, remember that chocolate can help put you in a better mood, so painful symptoms might seem less stressing.