This has brightened up our week!
A new study has revealed that eating chocolate in modest quantities may be good for the heart.
According to reports, scientists in Britain studied data from almost 21,000 people.
Participants provided information about their lifestyle and also had their health monitored over the course of 11 years.
The study, which was published in the British journal Heart, found that the top fifth of chocolate eaters were 12% less likely to develop heart disease and 23% less likely to suffer a stroke with an average daily consumption of about 7g.
It also noted that most ate milk chocolate not dark chocolate.
“This may indicate 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.”
The research team did admit that the investigation had limitations due to the fact that it was observational.
“Cumulative evidence suggests that higher chocolate intake is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events,” the report stated.
However, other researchers have been cautious about the new results.
“You can’t draw a medical conclusion from this study,” said Arnaud Cocaul, a nutritionist at a hospital in Paris.
Meanwhile, Tim Chico a cardiologist at the University of Sheffield stated; “I would not advise my patients to increase their chocolate intake based on this research, particularly if they are overweight.”
