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MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD BOOSTS BRAIN POWER KEEPS YOU SLIM
A study in the Journal of In a study reported in the Journal of People who eat chocolate regularly tend to
Psychopharmacology found people who Nutrition, researchers examined the be thinner, according to a study of more
had a 42g of dark chocolate drink a day felt relationship between brain performance than 1,000 people. The researchers, who
more content than people who did not. and chocolate consumption of 2,031 published their results in the Archives of
Dietitian Junee Sangani explains: “The Norwegian people aged between 70 and Internal Medicine, found people who ate
improvement in mood that people can get 74. They took a battery of brain-power chocolate a few times a week were, on
from eating chocolate comes from the tests and those who had chocolate had average, slimmer than those who only ate
release of serotonin and endorphins – the significantly better cognitive performance it occasionally – even after the other foods
feel-good chemicals – in the brain.” than those who did not. in their diet were taken into account.
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MAKES YOU A GENIUS (maybe) RENOVATES BLOOD VESSELS PROTECTS YOUR SKIN
Researchers found a link between the A study published by the Federation of Researchers have found that some
amount of chocolate eaten per person and American Societies for Experimental compounds in cocoa can actually help
Biology found that men who had eaten 70g
the number of Nobel prize winners in a of dark chocolate a day had healthier blood protect your skin from the Sun. A study
ILLUSTRATION: MAGIC TORCH the UK would have to munch through about reduce the risk of them getting clogged up. spend double the amount of time in front
found that people who ate 20g of dark
country’s population. Switzerland had the
highest levels of chocolate consumption
vessels as a result. The dark chocolate
chocolate per day over 12 weeks could
and the most Nobel laureates. Everyone in
appeared to help make arteries more
flexible and reduce the stickiness of white
of a UV lamp before their skin reddened
compared with those who had eaten
2kg of chocolate per year to increase the
blood cells, two factors that would help
normal chocolate.
number of Nobel laureates.
BBC SCIENCE FOCUS MAGAZINE COLLECTION 29
