Chocolate protects the heart
Scientists have discovered new useful properties of chocolate
A group of scientists from Denmark, USA and Canada has found that eating moderate portions of chocolate reduces the risk of such a serious heart disease as atrial fibrillation. The results of the study are published in the scientific journal Heart (Mostofsky et al., Chocolate intake and risk of clinically apparent atrial fibrillation: the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study).
Doctors turned to the data of a survey conducted several years ago on dietary nutrition. More than 55 thousand Danes participated in it. In particular, the subjects were asked to answer the question of how much chocolate they regularly eat.
The researchers then compared the survey data with the medical histories of the participants in the experiment. It turned out that, all other things being equal, moderate consumption of chocolate, both milk and dark, reduces the likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation, which affects millions of people around the world. In women who regularly eat 30 grams of chocolate once a week, the risk of the disease is reduced by 21 percent, while in men who eat two or three such servings a week – by 23 percent.
Arrhythmia risk levels and 95% confidence intervals
depending on the amount of chocolate consumed
(graph from the article in Heart – VM).
Meanwhile, scientists warn that excessive and too frequent consumption of chocolate, especially with a low cocoa content, can have the opposite effect and negatively affect health.
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24.05.2017