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The Maya loved cacao so much they used the beans as currency. They also
believed it is good for
you which many people still say today about cacao's most
famous byproduct, chocolate.
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In fact, cacao, also called cocoa, which is the not-so-secret ingredient of chocolate,
s contains hundreds of bioactive* plant compounds, including flavanols*, which have
with numerous possible health benefits.
been (あ
"Research on the bioactive components of the cacao bean pretty consistently
shows that if you're consuming greater amounts of flavanols you see mechanisms
(linked to heart disease are, by and large, favorably impacted," says Howard Sesso, an
10 epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and
Women's Hospital. This includes improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol
levels.
But while cacao does have intriguing potential to boost heart health and brain
function, no science supports eating large amounts of chocolate as a health food
15 sorry chocoholics. Here's why.
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Spurred by chocolate's popularity, numerous studies have explored how the
natural chemical compounds found in cocoa might be good for human health.
While some have suggested that less than an ounce of dark chocolate might
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improve heart health, much of the research doesn't involve eating actual chocolate
not A but rather BAというよりむしろB
20 but rather its components.
In 2022,
(2)
Sesso and colleagues found compelling evidence for the benefits of
説得力のある
flavanols. In a clinical trial of 21,000 adults, they found that the half of the group
that took 500mg of cocoa flavanol supplements daily had a significantly lower risk of
death from cardiovascular disease* than those who had taken a placebo.
Flavanols may also boost insulin sensitivity, according to some studies, which
might be helpful in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. But the results aren't
conclusive, and those at risk of diabetes might be () (to choose a cacao-inspired
