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We all know that stress can have terribly destructive effects on both our physical and emotional health. Sometimes prolonged stress can be responsible for some pretty serious health problems as well.

A new study by scientists at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne Switzerland has found more about the health benefits of dark chocolate and that enjoying this type of chocolate might not just be a tasty indulgence, but it also appears to lower levels of stress hormones in those who are feeling stressed out.

Add this to the growing number of potential benefits to your heart that come from dark chocolate and all those good-for-you flavonoids inside that tasty package, and you'll be choosing this delicious confectionary over any other kind.

Enjoying one dark chocolate candy bar daily for two weeks was found in this latest study to actually reduce levels of cortisol as well as the "fight or flight" hormones known as catecholamines in highly stressed people.

So, if you're dealing with constant stress, a small amount of 70% cocoa chocolate or higher each day might be just the thing to help you cope.

In the study, the team examined the effects on 30 healthy adults of eating 1.4 ounces (40 grams, the size of an average candy bar) of rich and yummy dark chocolate every day for a two-week period on measures of stress.

Half the candy bar was eaten mid-morning, the other half mid-afternoon. The anxiety levels of the subjects were determined at the start of the study using validated psychological questionnaires, allowing the team to classify subjects as low or high anxiety.

Body fluids (blood and urine) were also collected and analyzed at the beginning and end of the research period.

The result was that those with lots of anxiety who ate dark chocolate daily cut stress hormone levels. It also seems to have a beneficial effect on the metabolism and microbial action of the digestive system.

"Consuming dark chocolate daily can positively impact the metabolism of people that report having high-stress levels," explains Sunil Kochhar, a Nestle researcher leading the study. "These results strongly support our ongoing metabonomics research efforts to ascertain the impact of certain foods on human metabolism through the adaptation of gut microbial activities."

The study appears in the Journal of Proteome Research and was conducted by a team of experts at the Nestle Research Center located in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It makes sense that chocolate, which comes from plants, should have some of the same natural, good-for-you substances found in dark veggies.

Flavonoids in this kind of chocolate are nearly 8 times what you find in strawberries, and act as antioxidants that protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.

They also help relax blood pressure by producing nitric oxide, as well as balancing some hormones in the body.

And while chocolate of any kind does contain fats, only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you. That doesn't mean indulge all you like... keep your dark chocolate intake to no more than 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) a day to get the benefits without suffering because of the added calories.

Remember too, that the calories you take in from chocolate must be balanced to get the best health benefits of dark chocolate, by lessening the amount you take in someplace else so you won't be packing on the pounds while you're coping with an especially stressful time.

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More good news for dark chocolate lovers... a recent report has identified the precise molecular mechanism that explains dark chocolate health benefits come from a compound in the chocolate that protects the heart, and can guard against the damage of a stroke.

The substance is a flavanol known as epicatechin that sets in motion two built in protective pathways in the brain that shield nerve cells from damage as the result of stroke.

The work was conducted on mice who were induced to suffer a stroke. The researchers gave different doses of epicatechin to the mice 90 minutes before a stroke and found that it significantly reduced infarct size, the measurement used to assess stroke damage.

The protective effect lasted up to 3.5 hours, but not longer than 6 hours. The substance was found to offer no protection to mice that had been bred without these brain pathways.

The team of researchers was careful to focus on cocoa over chocolate. The truth is, eating lots of chocolate is never going to be a healthy choice, but moderating your intake and enjoying other healthy foods just might be.

Interestingly, it was research involving the cocoa drinking Kuna Indians that led experts to study epicatechin in the first place. These people have an unusually low incidence of stroke and other heart disease that can't be explained by genetics, and was eventually attributed to drinking of very bitter cocoa drink. The substance was identified as the protective ingredient in dark chocolate by studies conducted by other scientists, including those out of Harvard Medical School.

It makes sense that cocoa, which comes from plants after all, would have a measure of the natural, good-for-you substances found in dark fruits or veggies.

Flavonoids in dark chocolate are known to be nearly 8 times those found in strawberries, they function as antioxidants that protect the cells of the body from damage caused by free radicals. They also help lower blood pressure by producing nitric oxide and balancing some hormones in the body.

And while some will tell you that chocolate of all kinds does have fats, the good news is that only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.

That is not to suggest you indulge without restraint, the experts recommend you keep your dark chocolate intake to no more than 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) a day to get the benefits without struggling with weight issues because of the added calories.

It's important to keep in mind that in getting dark chocolate health benefits the calories you take in be balanced by lessening the amount you take in someplace else. This latest research in animals supports the idea that epicatechin could be used to treat stroke in people. Despite the promise, using this substance to address stroke outside the laboratory is a way off - risks and side effects of the substance must first be studied. Natural does not always mean without risk.

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There have been numerous questions as regards the dark chocolates and their health benefits. Scientists from the time of their invention have been doing researches to find out whether dark chocolates are really beneficial for the human body or not. There are numerous health benefits of dark chocolates. They are the following:

Dark chocolate contains a substance called flavonoids which has a number of benefits. Dark chocolates are regarded as antioxidants. Most diseases are caused by oxidation of the cells of the body. When the cellular oxidation reaches a certain level, then various kinds of diseases occur in the body. In order to prevent cellular oxidation, it is important to take a lot of green tea as well as dark chocolates. Green tea and chocolates also possess an anti ageing property.

The function of the chocolates is to capture the free radicals which are harmful to the body. Some of the dark chocolates have more anti oxidizing property than others. This is because of the flavonoid content of dark chocolate. Some chocolates contain 70% flavonoid while some contains 75%, 80% or even 90%. Truly speaking there is no dark chocolate which contains 100% flavonoid.

Another important function of the dark chocolate is to reduce the blood pressure. This is possible because of high content of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is considered to have hormonal effect and reduces blood pressure. If the hormonal balance is maintained the blood pressure remains normal. This is the reason why dark chocolates, when consumed by people with chronic heart disease and other pulmonary problems give some relief.

Dark chocolates are considered to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol as much as ten percent. They stimulate the production of endorphins and serotonin. Dark chocolates contain caffeine, theobromine and other stimulants, and have a good taste as well.

It is also important to note that dark chocolate is a fairly fatty food. About one third of the fats in chocolate are monounsaturated, and two thirds are saturated. This means the fats are able to affect your cholesterol levels. Moreover there is also a high sugar content in the chocolate. Thus there is a high possibility to gain weight on too much consumption of chocolates. It is said according to research result that three and a half ounces of dark chocolate can be taken each day to enjoy its benefits. This comes to an intake of about four hundred calories, similar to having two small doughnuts.

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