It’s always fascinating to try and figure out why certain people live as long as they do; as humans we are naturally curious to find that one food or activity that could be the answer to a long and healthy life.
The oldest person in the world lived to be 122 years old; a French lady called Jeanne Calment who passed in 1997. But more recently an Italian lady Giuseppina Projetto reached an impressive 116 years old but sadly passed last month.
She was asked what her secret was to living so long — and the answer may surprise you.
Living to be such an age is an incredible achievement; only a select few get to experience such an honor.
Giussepina was known as the “nonna of Italy” and lived in a village near the beautiful city of Florence. She had a son but sadly he died at the age of 39 in a drowning incident.
The sprightly Italian became Europe’s oldest living person in December 2017. After her grandson told her the news, she said: “Really? And exactly how old I am? So many?”
She then revealed that she couldn’t go one day without chocolate and attributed this superfood, along with a positive attitude, to her long and healthy life.
Giussepina was definitely on to something. Despite chocolate having a high fat and calorie content, the sweet can actually be beneficial. Research has shown that dark chocolate’s antioxidant levels are higher that superfruit juices such as acai, cranberry and blueberry.
A 2015 study found that a small amount of dark chocolate eaten every day lowered the blood pressure of type 2 diabetics and decreased their fasting blood sugar. The flavonoids found in cocoa increases blood flow to the brain, which is beneficial for stroke and dementia sufferers and it may even help to prevent cancer.
Find out some more health benefits of eating chocolate in the video below.
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If any of us needed an excuse to eat chocolate Giussepina is the perfect one! Please share this sweet story with all the chocolate lovers you know.
