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Researchers Find That Dark Chocolate Consumption May Boost Vision

Treat your eyes to laser vision correction.

We don’t need a study to tell us that Americans love chocolate. According to statistics the average American consumes 9.7 lbs. of chocolate annually. And with a population of 325 million, that is a whole lot of chocolate.

People eat so much chocolate because they love the taste. However, a new benefit of eating dark chocolate in particular has just been “seen”; literally and figuratively.

A recent preliminary study suggests that eating dark chocolate could improve your vision.

A group of scientists discovered that subjects in their test group who ate a bar of dark chocolate saw a significant increase in visual clarity and contrast sensitivity in the 2 hours after consumption.

The team recently reported their findings in JAMA Ophthalmology.

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Chocolate lovers are always delighted when a branch of their favorite treat develops a reputation as a beneficial food group.

Dark chocolate contains antioxidants which are called flavonoids. These plant-derived compounds have been found to be responsible for a number of positive effects including reducing inflammation. Flavonoids have also been cited for additional benefits for dark chocolate lovers which includes better cognitive functioning and improved heart health.

The researchers involved in this dark chocolate tested the effects of dark chocolate on the vision of 30 healthy adults — nine men and 21 women.

The average age of subjects was 26 years. None of the participants had a previous history of eye disease.

During two study sessions, each participant consumed a bar of dark chocolate containing 316 mg. of flavanols (a class of flavonoids) or a milk chocolate bar containing 40 mg. of flavanols. The trial was conducted in such a way that the participants were not told which type of chocolate they were consuming.

After approximately two hours all the subjects were asked to do visual testing.

The results of the testing showed that after eating dark chocolate the subjects had an improvement in visual contrast sensitivity. They were better able to read small and large letters at different contrasts and also had a slight improvement in visual acuity.

The researchers made their conclusions within two hours of the consumption of chocolate by the participants. The duration of the improvement and the clinical relevance still remains uncertain.

In conclusion, the scientists believe that further studies are warranted to test the potential visual benefits of eating dark chocolate.