FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE聽|聽February 11, 2013

New American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 video highlights five of chocolate鈥檚 sweet benefits

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 鈥� Just in time for Valentine鈥檚 Day, the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 (ACS), the world鈥檚 largest scientific society, released a new Bytesize Science video today featuring five chemistry facts that highlight why chocolate, in moderation, may be good for you. The video, produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs, is available at .

The video explains how a bar of chocolate contains hundreds of compounds, many with beneficial properties. Among the video鈥檚 鈥渟weet鈥� facts:

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Michael Bernstein
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Michael Woods
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  • Chocolate may improve your mood, and not just because of its delicious flavor. Chocolate contains a number of chemicals that inhibit the breakdown of the neurotransmitter anandamide 鈥� sometimes called 鈥渢he molecule of bliss鈥� 鈥� which can block feelings of pain and depression.
  • Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, stimulants that can provide a burst of energy.

According to an article from the ACS鈥� Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the naturally occurring polyphenols in cocoa 鈥� the key ingredient in chocolate 鈥� boost levels of HDL, commonly known as the 鈥済ood cholesterol.鈥�

For more entertaining, informative science videos and podcasts from the ACS Office of Public Affairs, view , , and .

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Screenshot of Bytesize Science episode "Five 'sweet' facts about the chemistry of chocolate"
High-resolution image