Reduce risk of depression (increase neurogenesis???)

[Guest guest]

http://brainfitforlife.com/blog/should-you-raid-your-kids%E2%80%99-halloween-bags-for-your-brain-health/Should You Raid Your Kids’ Halloween Bags for Your Brain Health?

October 30th, 2008· Filed Under: Brain Fitness · Physical Intelligence · Quality Nutrition

By Simon , PhD

No

doubt, your little ghouls will bring home a bounty of Butterfingers,

Baby Ruths and Sugar Babies this Halloween. They’ll be running around

buzzed out of their mind, crashing hard and complaining of a stomach

ache the next morning. Now, I don’t want to get down on Halloween.

Those masked and disinhibited parties were the best in college. But can

we extract any other benefit from this candy-crazed holiday?

Well,

it may be a stretch, but if you dig through their bags for the dark

chocolate, you can eat it (in moderation) guilt-free. Several studies

have now shown the benefits of dark chocolate for the brain and body.

The flavanols in dark chocolate increase vascular function and decrease

the risk for cardiovascular disease. Given that cardiovascular disease

increases the risk for depression and dementia, perhaps dark chocolate

may help on that front as well.

In a recent publication in the Journal of Nutrition,

researchers gave dark chocolate to patients with high blood pressure to

test its benefit. Patients were fed 100g of dark chocolate for 15 days.

That’s equal to about a 3 ounce square. The control group got white

chocolate, which lacks the high flavanol content (sorry).

If

you’re a dark chocolate lover, the results were good. Dark chocolate

rich in flavanols improved insulin sensitivity and the function of the

pancreatic cells that produce insulin. That’s good news for people

going down the diabetic road. Dark chocolate also decreased blood

pressure and reduced total cholesterol, good for patients with

cardiovascular problems. Wouldn’t it be nice if your doctor would

prescribe a square of dark chocolate and a glass of red wine instead of

some of the current pharmaceutical favorites? This day may yet come.

Now

the stuff your kids will bring home will probably be mostly sugar bombs

and milk chocolate. Sadly, the data does not support any benefit for

those varieties so you’re going to have to deal with the guilt of

indulgence (and the physiological consequences) if you over do them.

But remember, moderation is OK. It helps to stimulate those pleasure

centers which reduces stress and has it’s own benefit that way – just

don’t overdo it.

Reference:

J Nutr. 2008 Sep;138(9):1671-6Warmest regards, Moe Webster http://www.jujuyouz.mobi "Comprehensive energetic coaching solutions utilizing the power within YOU!" "What we nurture in ourselves will grow; that is nature's eternal law." ~Goethe