It is good for the elderly to keep healthy and energetic and eat more chocolate. The study found that eating more chocolate is beneficial to the health of the elderly. In the case of similar economic status and social living conditions, the elderly who love chocolate are more healthy, more optimistic and have a stronger sense of psychological pleasure than those who love other sweets.
Since the 1960s, researchers have conducted a follow-up questionnaire survey on elderly people with similar social and economic status who were born in 1919-1934, to understand their physical and mental health, including positive life orientation, visual analogue scale and Zung self rating depression scale, and to evaluate their satisfaction with life. Of the 1367 respondents, the researchers excluded 108 older people who said they didn't eat candy. Among the other 1259 people, 860 and 399 preferred chocolate and other types of candy. The average age of the two groups was 76 years old. Based on a series of data, the results show that there are significant differences in loneliness, well-being, positive plans for the future and Zung self rating depression scale between the elderly who prefer to eat chocolate and those who do not. The results showed that the body mass index and waist circumference of the elderly who preferred chocolate were lower; they could take more exercise and have more healthy self feeling; the mental health of the elderly who preferred chocolate was better.
Why can chocolate make the elderly healthier and happier?
The main raw material of chocolate is cocoa bean, which contains 21.8g protein, 22G fat, 38.1g sugar, 1.1% theobromine and 0.2% caffeine per 100g. It is rich in polyphenols and flavonols, and the content of polyphenols is higher than that in green tea and wine. Polyphenols and flavonols are common free radical scavengers, which can protect the body from oxidative damage and prolong the action time of other antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C; At the same time, it can promote vasodilation, reduce the degree of blood agglutination, reduce vascular blockage, lower blood pressure, prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. These beneficial chemicals in chocolate can even promote blood flow in the brain and prevent dementia. Experiments have shown that eating 6.8 grams of dark chocolate with 30 kilocalories per day has the effect of lowering blood pressure, and such amount will not cause weight gain or other side effects. In western countries, chocolate is regarded as an excellent cardiotonic and diuretic. It can activate the proteolytic enzymes in gastric juice and help digestion.
Research suggests that the reason why eating chocolate makes people feel happy is that chocolate releases serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which is related to the transmission of nerve impulses between nerve cells. Serotonin is formed by tryptophan. The content of tryptophan in chocolate itself is not high, but it contains a lot of sugar, which can trigger the production of insulin. Insulin ensures that sugar enters the cells that belong to it, leaving tryptophan in the brain, where it is synthesized into serotonin. When serotonin stays in the brain nerve bond, it will have a positive impact on people's mood, can make people feel refreshing and happy.
After reading the above contents, we should have some understanding of the problem that eating more chocolate for the elderly is good for their health in old age. Today we will introduce more topics about the health of the elderly. Sihai Xiaobian will continue to introduce them in the following chapters. Welcome to check. I wish you a happy life!