Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Chocolate for Better Health

For people with high levels of anxiety, dark chocolate might be the ticket to a less-stressed life. According to research from the Nestlé Research Center, a daily serving of 40 grams of dark chocolate might help people with anxiety improve their metabolism and improve gut microflora while reducing stress. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Proteome Research.

The results of the study showed that metabolic improvements largely came from a reduction in stress. Subjects consumed 40 grams of chocolate daily for two weeks. Subsequently, they showed “decreased levels of stress hormones and metabolites from pathogenic bacteria,” noted Serge Rezzi, Ph.D., head of the Metabonomics and Biomarkers Group, Nestlé Research Center.

This led the researchers to suggest that dietary changes can help alter people’s metabolic status and improve health over the long term.
Sources:

* Confectionery News: Nestlé: Chocolate may benefit gut health and metabolism

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