 Good news for chocoholics. The treat favoured by millions not only tastes delicious but is healthy for you, American researchers said on Monday.
Chocolate contains compounds called flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy heart and good circulation and reduce blood clotting. The researchers found not only an increase in antioxidant capacity after chocolate consumption, but also modulation of certain compounds which affect blood vessels. The researchers measured the impact of chocolate on platelets in the blood. Platelet activation is thought to be an important risk factor in blood clotting. Volunteers who consumed the chocolate had lower levels of platelet activity, while the scientists found no change in the group that ate the bread. The results of the study support earlier research which showed that cocoa acts like low-dose aspirin which helps to reduce blood clotting. These results lead us to believe that chocolate may contribute to a healthy, well-balanced diet. (Agencies) | 巧克力族们这下可以放心食用香甜可口的巧克力了。 美国学者9月3日表示，巧克力--这种受到广大民众喜爱的食品，不仅味香可口，而且还对身体大有裨益。  研究表明，巧克力中含有一种黄酮混合物，具有维持心脏健康、促进血液循环及减少血液凝结物等功能。长期食用巧克力还能降低心脏病的发病率。人们在消化巧克力的过程中吸收了大量的黄酮成份，这种物质能够起到增强心血管功能的作用。
研究人员测量出了巧克力对血液中血小板的影响程度。而科学界一直有人认为，血小板的活动程度对血凝程度起着至关重要的作用。
血液样本显示，食用巧克力的志愿者的血小板活动减慢了，而食用面包的志愿者则无任何变化。研究结果表明，巧克力中的可可粉能够起到同阿斯匹林相类似的降低血液粘度的作用。 这一结果使我们相信，巧克力能够作为健康及均衡体能的食品。 (中国日报网站译) |
Updated: 2001-09-05 01:00
