Chocolate… is it good for multiple sclerosis?
It’s been known for years that flavonoids in cocoa help fight fatigue. These chemicals possess anti-inflammatory properties that may be especially beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis. I know that may sound strange to you, but cocoa (chocolate) has been studied for just that purpose. Amazingly enough case studies show that eating cocoa does just that.
Let’s face it, no matter how you enjoy it — as a candy bar, in a hot drink, drizzled over ice cream — chocolate brings joy. It’s a wonderful flavorful treat. Now, I’m not talking about melt in your mouth milk chocolate, but dark chocolate is what has most of the health benefit for our bodies. Dark chocolate has between 50% and 90% cocoa solids. The higher percentage the better.
I don’t know if it’s because dark chocolate has a slight bitter taste or because you need to ingest it slowly to actually enjoy it, but I happen to think it’s a great alternative to pharmaceuticals. I have always said that the day after a chocolate filled holiday is my favorite day because chocolate goes on sale. I don’t know if it will be on sale after Valentine’s Day this year as in times past, but any discount would be welcomed due to the high price of food around the world today.
Results showed in the cocoa study that participants experienced a 45 percent improvement in fatigue. In addition, the high-flavonoid group was able to walk farther than those in the low-flavonoid group during a six-minute walking test. They also reported less pain.
MS is a challenging disease, and it requires innovative approaches to find ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat it. Could chocolate make multiple sclerosis fatigue better? Only time will tell but I welcome the challenge.
1. Simplify your life.
I admit that I enjoy milk chocolate the most, but I developed a taste for the more bitter chocolates after trying some. Isn’t it amazing what chocolate can do for our moods? A gift from God!
i’ve always loved dark chocolate. love it even more since diagnosed with MS.
i do think it helps with inflammation.
I’m a self proclaimed chocoholic. Although, I do try my best to avoid sugary snacks, food or drinks so as to not provide any fuel for MS to feed off. Some commercial chocolates can be loaded with sugars with sugar occasionally being one of the first ingredients.
Dark chocolate has become one of my favourites. Nice to know that it may be helpful in the MS daily battle with fatigue, guessing I may need a piece after typing this