Feb 16 2024University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Valentine's Day is here and plenty of couples are celebrating, but for some, chocolate is their one true love. Elvira de Mejia, professor of food science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences , investigates the health benefits of dark, white, milk, and even Valentine's Day chocolates.
With Valentine's Day on the way, let's dive into chocolate! What are the healthy compounds in chocolate and how do they work in our bodies? Chocolate contains more phenolic compounds -; especially flavonoids such as catechin and epicatechin -; than any other food. These compounds have very high anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in our bodies. As we know, oxidative stress and inflammation are two of the main factors that affect the development of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. So the main components in cocoa are responsible for mediating inflammation and oxidative stress.
Source:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences