Here's some good news for chocolate lovers - a block of about 0.5 oz (15 g) per day is enough to remove bad cholesterol from your body and regulate cholesterol levels in general. The bad news is, a greater amount of the favored cocoa treat does not have a good effect on the body.
An entire 8 studies have been analyzed, which revealed that chocolate can lower cholesterol levels, but only in some people and when eaten in small quantities. The studies were carried out by Chinese researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
The 8 studies were focused on the effect of cocoa on blood fats - lipids. The end result showed that cocoa lowers the levels of "bad" cholesterol and overall cholesterol by about 6 mg/dL.
The only downside to the analysis is that you can't stuff yourself with chocolate and expect your cholesterol to be like that of an athlete. Good results were seen only in people who ate small quantities of cocoa products.
A healthy dose contains 260 mg of polyphenols or less. Good results were also seen in people with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
It is known that polyphenols have antioxidant properties. Besides in chocolate, they can be found in fruits, vegetables, red wine, certain fish, remind experts.
Lower levels of bad cholesterol were not observed in healthy people, nor in those who love to overindulge with the sweet treat.
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