Chocolate (Photo : REUTERS/ALBERT GEA)
Recent study revealed that consuming cocoa lessens the risks of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
University of Aberdeen in England researcher have discovered that eating 100 grams of chocolate everyday can help lower any cardiovascular disease by 11 percent and 23 percent for the risk of stroke. Lastly, it could also lessen the mortality risk by 25 percent.
Dr. Phyo Myint, co-author of the study, explained that consuming chocolates should not be a problem to people’s cardiovascular health because cocoa do not have any harmful effects but must be consume in moderation.
For the study, they examined the data they have gathered from 21,000 British adult participants in the EPIC-Norfolk study. Also, researchers have reviewed the international published evidence on the links between chocolate and cardiovascular disease, involving nearly 158,000 people, according to University Herald.
They have found out that 12 percent of the participants who ate chocolates developed or died of cardiovascular disease while the study is ongoing, while 17.4 of them did not consume chocolate and died of cardiovascular disease as well. People who are eating 16 to 100 grams of chocolate on a regular basis have gained the highest health benefits, Times Gazette reported.
However, the polyphenols in chocolate and its function need to have further examination. Jo Ann Manson, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston believed that it does not really induce a cause-and-effect between chocolate and reduced risk of any heart condition. Manson will only believe the full potential benefits of cocoa if the chocolate will not have additional ingredient like calories, sugar, milk and fats.
