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"In one study, eating a dark-chocolate bar every day for two weeks lowered levels of stress hormones."

Thanks to its rich amount of antioxidants, cocoa has attracted a great deal of research into its health advantages.

In fact, modern science in the last decade has revealed chocolate’s striking potential for reducing oxidative stress, which contributes to illness and aging, as well as helping with inflammation, anxiety, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance. In other words: Could chocolate be the most delicious example yet of the food-as-medicine concept?

Here are some of the best examples of the benefits of cocoa from researchers around the world:

1. It helps keep your heart healthy.

A 2010 study found that eating chocolate seems to decrease the risk of heart disease, in part because it helps lower blood pressure. In a separate study, Australian researchers also discovered that eating dark chocolate can significantly reduce hypertension.

Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, may also help lower heart disease risk by boosting levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

2. It boosts your mood.

Researchers in Australia found that consuming cocoa significantly increased calmness and contentedness in healthy adults. Plus, according to a 2015 study, chocolate also improved mental performance and fatigue in participants.

3. It's associated with maintaining a healthy weight.

A study by the University of California, San Diego, showed that adults who eat chocolate regularly actually have a lower body mass index than those who don't.

4. It could be anti-aging.

Recent studies indicate that cocoa flavanol in chocolate may reduce age-related cognitive dysfunction.

5. It helps keep your brain sharp.

Plus, another American study found that drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help older people keep their brains healthy and their thinking skills sharp.

6. It relieves stress.

In one study, dark chocolate intake lowered stress reactivity during a social stress test (like speaking in front of a group or doing a mock job interview.)

Another study found that eating one dark-chocolate bar (1.4 ounces) every day for two weeks actually lowered levels of stress hormones.

7. It helps prevent stroke.

Swedish and Finnish scientists showed that eating a moderate amount of chocolate each week may lower the risk of stroke in men.

8. It reduces the risk of diabetes.

British researchers discovered that the rich flavonoids from chocolate could offer protection from type-2 diabetes by lowering insulin resistance and bettering blood glucose regulation.

9. It could give you a burst of energy.

Dark chocolate improves exercise capacity and energy-generating mitochondrial function in older adults, according to one study.

Want to learn more about delicious foods that can support your health? For more food-as-medicine inspiration, check out the recipes and meal plans I created for The Fat Resistance Diet.

Why Meghan won’t wear Victoria Beckham dresses by Elana Fishman

FROM Serena Williams to Misha Nonoo, Meghan Markle loves to support her best friends by wearing their fashion brands.

But dresses by her designer friend Victoria Beckham, who along with husband David Beckham attended Meghan's royal wedding to Prince Harry in May, have made nary an appearance in the Duchess of Sussex's wardrobe rotation - because the 37-year-old doesn't think they flatter her.

"What I'm starting to learn is, even though things look amazing on the hanger, it doesn't mean they're going to look amazing on me," Meghan told Glamour UK in 2017.

"For example, I love Victoria Beckham dresses, but I don't have the long torso to support that silhouette."

But while you probably won't spot her wearing VB-designed sheaths or shifts anytime soon, Meghan's still found ways to shout out her friend: The Duchess of Sussex sported a white cashmere sweater by Beckham in one of her engagement photos with Harry.

The effect of a Duchess of Sussex endorsement has never been more obvious than during her recent Royal Tour in Australia.

On the very first day of the trip, she stepped out in a white Karen Gee dress, causing the designer's website to crash by 9.20am

This story originally appeared in the New York Post and is republished here with permission.

Andy Warhol’s Magazine ‘Interview’ Files for Bankruptcy

The historic cultural magazine “Interview” has announced that it is shutting down after 50 years of chronicling Manhattan pop culture. The magazine founded by pop art giant Andy Warhol in 1969, is filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The preceding months have been darkened with financial turmoil for the magazine following the resignation of their fashion director, accused of sexual misconduct.

The magazine has been seminal in surveying the art, fashion, entertainment and pop culture scenario of downtown New York. A billionaire art collector, Peter Brant, owned the magazine, which he acquired in 1989. The months that preceded the closing down of the magazine saw members of staff being locked out of the office building in repercussion to ongoing rent dispute. This was coupled with a lawsuit filed by one of their former editorial directors, over the issue of back pay, followed by resignation of another employee after sexual misconduct allegation. [The Guardian]

On May 21, many of Interview magazine employees announced the news of their recent unemployment via Twitter. They were notified in a united editorial meeting about the closing down of the magazine. [Refinery]

The former editorial director Fabien Baron along with wife Ludivine Poiblanc sued the magazine for more than $600,000, earlier this month, claiming that the magazine did not pay for their styling and consulting work. [Page Six]

Before this, there was another lawsuit filed by a former stylist and creative director Karl Templer. He left the magazine after he was not paid $280,000 and was name-checked in one of the articles exposing numerous top-industry personalities who were accused of sexual misconduct. [The Fashion.com]

Apart from the above lawsuits, the company also suffered after a former sales representative and associate publisher Jane Katz's alleged that the company owed her an amount of $230,000, alongside were the allegations of president Dan Ragone's who claims a due of $170,000. Many other editorial staff members and employees went on being unpaid from the company till they filed for bankruptcy. The incident wasn’t unprecedented and was not much of a shock for the employees. [Refinery]

Interview Inc. shared the following statement: “Today, Interview, Inc. (the “Company”), which owns and publishes Interview Magazine, and its two holding companies, sought protection under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The Company has been operating at a financial loss, and had been funding its losses and costs of its operation through loans obtained from its secured lender. The losses, however, continued to mount, and the Company did not believe its financial condition would improve in the foreseeable future.”

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