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Can Chocolate Promote Heart Health? Chocolate is a food that is loved by many people as it tastes so good. It can satisfy people’s innate preference for sweets and fat. The joy of eating a good piece of chocolate, according to chocoholic, is that it melts on the mouth and tongue. A chocoholic is a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate. Previously, chocolate is generally perceived as an unhealthy food because its high sugar and fat contents may cause weight gain. But over the past years, numerous research has revealed otherwise. For instance, a study published in the journal ‘Heart’ in 2015 found that eating a moderate amount of chocolate a day may lower risk of heart disease and stroke. Using data from the EPIC-Norfolk study that tracked the impact of diet on the long-term health of 20,951 participants (9214 men and 11 737 women) in Norfolk, scientists from the University of Aberdeen and other institutions examine the association between chocolate intake and the risk of future cardiovascular events. They also carried out a review of previously published evidence on the links between chocolate and cardiovascular disease. About 20 percent participants said they did not eat any chocolate, but among the others, daily consumption averaged 7g, with some eating up to 100g.
After adjusting for lifestyle and dietary factors,
the researchers concluded that compared to those who did not eat any chocolate,
those who ate up to a small bar a day had an 11 percent lesser risk of
cardiovascular disease, a 23 percent reduced risk of stroke, and a 9 percent
lower risk of hospital admission or death as a result of coronary heart disease.
They also found a 19 percent reduction in heart failure in the top versus the
bottom chocolate consumers.
One year later, another study, which was published April 2016 in the ‘British Journal of Nutrition’ by researchers from the University of Warwick Medical School, United Kingdom, and Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), suggested that eating a small amount of chocolate every day may reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The chocolate consumption of a total of 1,153 people aged between 18 and 69, who were part of the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk in Luxembourg (ORISCAV-LUX) study, were analysed in the study. Last year, a study of 55,502 people in Denmark reported that people who ate chocolate 1 to 3 times per month were about 10 percent less likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation than those who ate less than once a month. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston published their findings online March 23 in BMJ Journal ‘Heart’. While scientists have yet to find out how chocolate can boost heart health, they believe it is because of cocoa, the main content of chocolate. Cocoa contains high levels of flavanols that have anti-inflammatory, blood vessel-relaxing and antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, all of the large studies are observational that can only generate important insights without proving cause and effect. It is possible that people who like to eat chocolate do something else that offers heart protection or are of favorable cardiovascular disease risk profile. For example, in the Norfolk study mentioned earlier, those who ate the most chocolate tended to be younger, have a lower weight, waist to hip ratio, and blood pressure, and were less likely to have diabetes and more likely to carry out regular physical activity. Most of the studies showing favourable findings about chocolate consumption have indicated dark chocolate has more beneficial effects than milk chocolate because dark chocolate has the highest content of cocoa and more flavanols. But interestingly in the Norfolk study, milk chocolate was more frequently eaten by the participants.
Despite of all good news about chocolate, one
should be cautious about consumption. Chocolate in the form of candy can often
be high in sugar and may cause weight gain. Moreover, chocolate contains a
relatively high amount of caffeine that can be a problem for some, especially
children. Chocolate can also be a trigger food for those with acid reflux.
Hence, one should choose and enjoy dark chocolate in moderation.
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