Improving heart health with chocolate

1 September 2011 – Previous studies have found that chocolate, particularly that of a higher cocoa percentage, contains compounds which may reduce the inflammation that leads to heart disease. Chocolate is also believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which could be beneficial for health.

Now, new research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) suggests that chocolate may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Experts from the University of Cambridge reviewed seven studies on the issue. Five reported a positive link between higher levels of chocolate consumption and lower risks of several diseases.

People who ate the most chocolate had a 37% reduced risk of heart disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with those eating the least. One of the studies also found a 31% lower risk of diabetes for chocolate lovers. The reason for these results is as yet unknown.

The research, which covered 114,0009 patients in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the US and Japan for about a decade, did not differentiate between dark and milk chocolate. The study examined consumption of chocolate bars, drinks, biscuits and desserts.

High consumption was generally regarded, depending on the study, as eating chocolate products more than once a week or 7.5g daily.

However, I personally believe that if you are looking to reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes or stroke, you would find more benefit in exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet rather than excessively eating chocolate, which is highly calorific and contains large quantities of saturated fat and sugar.

The EU Chocolate Directive which came into force in 2003 stipulates that the minimum fat content in chocolate must be 25% for most chocolates (couverture being higher and white chocolate being slightly lower). This means that even if, technologically, a good chocolate could be produced with say 20% total fat it couldn’t be labelled as chocolate within the EU. If the health benefits of chocolate are going to

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