Chocolate Linked to Reduced Heart Risk
If you have a sweet tooth and have a chocolate habit of sorts, then this may be good news for you. A study conducted by researchers at Cambridge University indicated that people who eat chocolate on a regular basis have lowered risk for cardiovascular disease.
The findings were based on the analysis of seven separate studies which involved data from more than a hundred thousand study participants. Those who eat more chocolate have a 37 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, when compared against those who ate little chocolate.
It was clarified that the studies did not just focus on dark chocolate, the type of chocolate that is generally regarded as more beneficial to one’s health. Instead, the studies looked into the consumption of other chocolate products, including milk chocolate and chocolate bars, as well as chocolate drinks, biscuits and desserts. The study followed participants in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the US, and Japan, for an average of around ten years.
Dr. Oscar Franco of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit of Cambridge University shared: “Foods are very complex structures where many substances interact to have a beneficial effect… Chocolate could be contributing to better quality of life, and that could be one of the mechanisms, but that’s just speculation.”
Evidence also pointed to the fact that chocolate can stimulate the release of endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that gave people that sense of well-being.
The results of the analysis were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Paris, by Dr. Franco. It was also published in the British Medical Journal.
