1. Dark Chocolate Is Packed with Minerals

Chocolate is bad for you, right? Wrong. If you eat quality dark chocolate (not the kind loaded with sugar) that contains a high content of cocoa (70-85%), it is actually packed with fiber and minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, and manganese.

2. Dark Chocolate Is Loaded with Antioxidants

Raw, unprocessed cocoa beans are among the highest scoring foods tested for their Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), a measure of foods’ antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are chemicals such as polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins that prevent or delay cell damage. To clarify, an antioxidant is not a substance, but rather a behavior: any compound that gives away electrons and counteracts free radicals is considered to have antioxidant properties. In one study, researchers found that cocoa and dark chocolate “contained more antioxidant activity, polyphenols, and flavanols than other fruits they tested, which included blueberries and Acai berries.”

3. Dark Chocolate May Increase Blood Flow and Decrease Blood Pressure

Dark chocolate contains flavanols, which stimulate the lining of the arteries to produce the gas Nitric Oxide (NO). According to authoritynutrition.com, “one of the functions of NO is to send signals to the arteries to relax, which lowers resistance to blood flow and therefore reduces blood pressure.” Although many studies have shown that cocoa and dark chocolate may improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, the effects produced from them are often slight. In one study, cocoa and dark chocolate were shown to have no effect on the elevated blood pressure of participants, so take this fact with a grain of salt.

4. Dark Chocolate May Decrease Your Risk of Heart Disease

Studies have shown that the compounds in dark chocolate help fight against the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), thereby preventing cholesterol from lodging in the arteries. In a study that observed 470 elderly men for 15 years, cocoa was shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular death by 50 percent. Another study found that eating dark chocolate two or more times per week reduced the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by 32 percent; however, consuming chocolate less frequently was shown to have no effect. In a different study, researchers found that eating chocolate five or more times per week cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by 57 percent. Although these studies showed that dark chocolate can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, they are nevertheless observational studies and cannot prove that the chocolate was responsible for the risk reduction.

5. Dark Chocolate is a UV Protectant

Not only is dark chocolate good for your heart, it’s also good for your skin. Studies have shown that the flavonols in dark chocolate “can protect against sun-induced damage, improve blood flow to the skin, and increase skin density and hydration.” In a study that examined 30 people, researchers found that participants who consumed dark chocolate with a high content of flavanols for 12 weeks more than doubled their minimal erythemal dose (MED), which is “the minimum amount of UVB rays required to cause redness in the skin, 24 hours after exposure.” So the next time you’re at the beach, load up on dark chocolate in addition to sunscreen.

6. Dark Chocolate Improves Your Memory

Dark chocolate has also been shown to improve memory. In one study that examined healthy people between the ages of 50 and 69, researchers found that people who drank a mixture containing cocoa high in flavanol for three months performed about 25 percent better on a memory test than people who consumed a low-flavanol mixture. Although the study examined a relatively small number of people was partly funded by Mars Inc., a chocolate company, experts still conclude it was legitimate since the study was a randomized trial led by experienced researchers.