Chocolate lovers take heart. According to a new study published in the journal Heart, eating up to 3.5 ounces of chocolate a day may lower your risk of heart disease or stroke.
“People who want to eat chocolate should not be worried too much about their cardiovascular health,” study co-author Phyo Myint, MD, FRCP, chair of medicine of old age at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, told HealthDay. “We did not find any harmful effects of chocolate, if they want to enjoy chocolate now and again. The key is moderation,” said Myint.
Findings from the study are based on responses to lifestyle questionnaires that tracked the snacking habits of 21,000 adults over a 12-year period. Among this group, the researchers found that compared to participants who ate no chocolate, those who ate the most – up to 3.5 ounces or the equivalent of two candy bars a day – had an 11 percent lower risk of heart disease and a 25 percent lower risk of associated death. Their likelihood of suffering a stroke was 23 percent lower.
In addition to the survey, Myint and his colleagues reviewed nine previous studies involving 158,000 people on the link between chocolate and heart disease. Analysis of the combined data provided even stronger evidence of chocolate’s benefits.
People who consumed the most chocolate had a 29 percent reduced risk of heart disease and 21 percent reduced risk of stroke when compared to those who ate the least. Chocolate-eaters were also 45 percent less likely to die from stroke, heart disease or a heart attack.
The researchers also found that more of the study participants consumed milk chocolate than dark chocolate, which has generally been considered healthier. The research team suggested the health benefits of chocolate may apply to both types.
“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 of the observed association,” the authors wrote.
In a Washington Post article, Myint noted that chocolate is full of flavonoid antioxidants, and that previous studies have shown that chocolate intake results in improved function of the inner lining of blood vessels. Chocolate has also been found to increase HDL or good cholesterol and decrease LDL, the bad cholesterol. Myint also indicated that many of the chocolate bars contain nuts, which are also known to be good for heart health.
Although the researchers wrote that there “was no evidence to say that chocolate was to be avoided,” they also acknowledged caveats accompanied their results. Because it their study was observational, they cannot draw cause-and-effect conclusions. They also found that people who ate chocolate tended to be in better health.
“These people who were high consumers of chocolate tend to be younger and physically more active, they tend to have less diabetes and be less obese,” Myint told HealthDay. “Although we control for these things, we can’t be 100 percent sure whether we have adequately adjusted for them.”
Health experts weighing in on the study agreed that it added to the growing evidence of chocolate’s benefits, but warned against overindulging. Exercise, a well-balanced diet and maintaining a healthy blood pressure all reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. These steps are particularly important for people who are overweight or obese, they advised.
