Good news, chocolate lovers! According to a study from Yale University, snacking on chocolate regularly during pregnancy can help prevent potentially fatal complications from premature births. Women who reported eating more than three servings of chocolate a week had a 50% reduction in the chance of pre-eclampsia.
It’s thought that theobromine, the chemical in cocoa that taste bitter, helps dilate blood vessels and keeps blood pressure steady. Still, there is some criticism of the study, like whether or not the effects are confined to dark chocolate (do milk and white chocolate provide the same benefits?). But hey, I’m willing to believe anything that encourages more guilt-free chocolate eating.
How much chocolate did you eat while pregnant?
From the Daily Mail.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
There are so many health benefits from eating chocolate, but definately dark, raw (meaning the cacoa butter hasnt been ruined) and organic. There have been reports of chocolate being contaminated by lead.
I was interested in this post, because chocolate is one of the highest food sources of magnesium, and of course this is crucial for relaxing muscles and lowering blood pressure and of course a developing baby uses a lot of magnesium.
Studies show low magnesium levels to be epedemic, but mostly undiagnosed.
The list of studies showing the health benefits of eating a small amount of dark chocolate are growing rapidly, but of course one must be very careful about the quality of the chocolate, which means raw organic and dark.
Here’s to a little bit of chocolate every day.. pregnant or not. Cheers!!
I note this info in my book The Healing Powers of Chocolate (Kensington, 2011) by Cal Orey. Plus, dozens of home cures to the brands of the best chocolate to eat…
I wish it were milk chocolate that was found to be beneficial for health….but dark chocolate is better than no chocolate!
Women are especially careful about what they eat while pregnant so this is good news!