雅思素材：爱上黑巧克力的10个理由（上）

Chocolate: 10 health reasons you should eat more of it

巧克力：10 个你该多吃它的理由

 

Magical mouthful: chocolate has an array of health benefits (as long as it"s dark) 神奇的一小口：巧克力有一系列的健康益处（只要它是黑巧克力）

 

Chocolate is the ultimate comfort food, a sure-fire stand-by in times of stress, a reliable source ofconsolation when life has let us down, and a mood-enhancer and romance-inducer in more positive circumstances. But is it at all healthy? 巧克力真是一种有效安慰的，在压力时刻必备的食物，是当生活让我们情绪低落时的可靠的安慰，在一些更积极的氛围下是一种情绪提高和浪漫诱导剂。但它全是健康么？

 

If you scoff lots of it, obviously not. But there are a host of medically proven ways in which chocolate — good chocolate, which is to say dark chocolate, with a cocoa percentage of around seventy per cent or more — really is good for us.如果你狼吞虎咽吃很多，那肯定就不是了。但对巧克力有大量医学证明方法——好的巧克力说的是黑巧克力，可可的百分比在70%或以上的——才是对我们有益处的。

 

Research is continuing all the time, and experts have already found that chocolate is good for the heart, circulation and brain, and it has been suggested that it may be beneficial in such major heath challenges as autism, obesity and diabetes.研究一直在继续，专家已经发现巧克力对于心脏，血液循环和大脑是有益处的。也显示它对于那些严重的健康挑战像自闭症，肥胖和糖尿病有好处。

 

And in fact, the very latest research suggests that eating chocolate could help keep your brain function whirring into old age.实际上，较近的研究显示吃巧克力会帮你在老年时候保持脑部功能运作。

 

Here are ten scientifically established health benefits of good chocolate.以下是科学成立的好巧克力的健康益处。

 

1. It’s good for the heart and circulation有益于心脏和血液循环

 

A recent study found that dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels - both common causes of artery clogging.近期研究发现黑巧克力帮助重塑动脉灵活性，也避免血液细胞粘结在血管壁上——通常是导致动脉堵塞的原因。

 

2. It reduces risk of stroke减少中风几率

 

Researchers in Finland have found that chocolate consumption lowers the risk of suffering a stroke - by a staggering 17 per cent average in the group of men they tested.在芬兰的研究发现巧克力摄入会有更低的中风几率——被测试的人员里那令人惊讶的平均17%。

 

3. It"s mineral rich矿物质丰富

 

Dark chocolate is packed with beneficial minerals such as potassium, zinc and selenium, and a 100g bar of dark (70 per cent or more) choc provides 67 per cent of the RDA of iron.黑巧克力富含有益的矿物质像钾，辛，硒，每100克的黑巧克力（70%或更高）巧克力提供67%每天建议摄取的铁。

 

4. It reduces cholesterol 减少胆固醇

 

Consumption of cocoa has been shown to reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and raise levels of “good” cholesterol, potentially lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.可可的摄取显示可以减少坏胆固醇的水平，增加好胆固醇，潜在降低心血管疾病的几率。