Sweeten Your Heart! Chocolate May Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease

Intuitively, you may think that eating chocolate may increase the risk of heart disease due to the high sugar and fat content of the chocolate. But a new research study out of England, published in the journal Heart shows that regular consumption of chocolate may actually reduce the risk of future heart attacks and stroke.

In this study of more than 20,000 men and women, habitual chocolate intake was quantified using the baseline food frequency questionnaire and then they were followed for more than 10 years.  The researchers found that people who consumed the most chocolate (16-99 g per day) were 11 percent less likely than those who ate no chocolate to have a heart attack or stroke and 25 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.  

The protective effect of chocolate appears to be due to flavonoids which may repair the damage caused by free radicals in the lining of the blood vessels. Other studies have also shown that flavonoids may improve insulin resistance and high blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for heart disease.

The participants in this study consumed more milk chocolate than dark chocolate indicating that not only flavonoids, but also other compounds, possibly related to milk constituents, such as calcium and fatty acids, may provide an explanation for the observed association.  Contrary to popular belief, it can be assumed that milk chocolate may have equal health benefits as dark chocolate according to this study.

To further prove the benefits of chocolate, the same researchers did a systematic review of more than 150,000 people across 9 studies.  This review shows that chocolate consumption was linked to a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke and a 45 percent lower risk of associated death.

Based on this study and other studies in the past, it is safe to conclude that moderate amount of chocolate may prove to be a "healthy supplement" in protecting you against heart disease and stroke.