Chocolate benefits

Posted on 30. Nov, 2010 by Julia Barnard in food, health, Wellbeing Research

Ladies – make your snack a chocolate one and it may just help prevent heart disease. Australian research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine have suggested the link between chocolate eating and lowered heart disease in women. The researchers reviewed data collected from 1216 older women – their chocolate consumption was recorded for nearly a decade. Of those who rarely ate chocolate (around half of the sample), 90 either died of heart disease or were hospitalised because of it. This compare to 65 women who were regular chocolate eaters. Their analysis found that eating chocolate just once a week was enough to bring benefits to the heart.

Flavonoids are present in dark chocolate and are also found in red wine and apples and are believed to reduce the risk of heart disease. Of course given that chocolate is high in fat and sugar, it should be eaten in moderation.

Tags: food, health