Science knows the exact amount of chocolate to eat to be happy

Chocolate makes us happy. It is popular, everyone knows it, and it is no prophecy. Just smelling it or talking about it changes our mood. And this is because science assures us that it connects with molecules we produce, endorphins (the so-called "happiness hormones") and serotonin, and then they generate a feeling of well-being, pleasure, and emotional relaxation.

Chocolate links with the natural molecules our body produces and, consequently, increases them, because it has a similar structure to these molecules. In other words, since our body recognizes what it eats, it increases the production of the stimulating molecules for a pleasant and well-being effect. And it does so almost immediately, just as some other illegal substances like opium also achieve.

The good news about all this is not confirming that chocolate is joy, but that large quantities of intake are not necessary for us to generate endorphins. "Just twenty grams of preferably dark chocolate can achieve this," states Josep Antoni Tur, professor of physiology at the Department of Fundamental Biology and Health Sciences at the University of the Balearic Islands, who adds that no matter how sad we feel one day, and want to change it, eating a whole bar will not cause us more joy.

Fight against aging

Since we have good news, let's continue with the benefits of twenty grams of dark chocolate, because it makes us feel good in every sense. They have an antioxidant function, which means they protect us against free radicals, the culprits that make our cells age daily. If they return it is due to bad eating habits, also stress, alcohol, tobacco or even excessive sports exercise. That is why antioxidant foods play such an important role, because they appease them. So ingesting them, in the proportion we mention, twenty grams daily, is also fighting against aging. Another nutritional benefit we achieve with intake is to increase the elasticity of blood vessels, and this means reducing blood pressure.

However, with chocolate there is a downside that we must mention: the addiction that its intake can create. That idea that you need chocolate to be happy also has a scientific basis, as nutritionist Anna Costa affirms. "On the one hand, there is phenylethylamine and anandamide as culprits for physiological dependence on cocoa and its derivatives, such as chocolate", says Costa, who explains that both molecules act on the brain, regulating mood. The body produces them, and at the same time they are also found in chocolate. On the other hand, we have two other culprits: magnesium and theobromine. The first stabilizes blood glucose levels; the second stimulates the nervous system. So if you are one of those who think you cannot live without chocolate, blame these four: phenylethylamine, anandamide, magnesium, and theobromine.

For all these reasons we have mentioned, choosing dark chocolate is a good option. In addition, the more cocoa, the less added sugar and, therefore, the healthier for the entire organism. "In Catalonia, the pioneers in promoting the trend of chocolate with more cocoa were the chocolatiers of Valrhona, who in 1986 created the Guanaja product, which they presented as the most bitter chocolate in the world and had 70% cocoa", recalls chocolatier Enric Rovira, who concludes that "until the 1980s, chocolate had never been made with such a high cocoa content".