The academic name for cacao beans is Theobroma cacao, which means "God's food." They are said to have first been found in pre-Columbian Mexico, where they were valued as an elixir of life among the royalty. The native Mexicans believed that with one block of crushed chocolate, one could work five to six hours without stopping. They carried it when traveling in the mountains as emergency food in case of accident. This is because chocolate is nutritious, full of such minerals as iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc.
Eating chocolate is often associated with negative health implications such as acne, weight gain or tooth decay. Recent investigations, however, have proven that these myths are greatly overstated, and that in fact chocolate is rather good for one's health.
First, according to two studies (one done by the Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the other by the U.S. Naval Academy), chocolate has no connection to acne. Other experts say that acne is not directly linked to diet.
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