August 1, 2003 – Good news for chocolate lovers: those who eat it regularly will live up to a year longer than others.
This surprising finding is reported in the prestigious British Medical Journal. In the study of nearly 8,000 men, researchers found that those who ate a modest amount of chocolate (one to three bars per month) reduced their risk of death by 36%, compared to those who did not. did not eat at all1.
Researchers attribute this apparent benefit to the fact that a four-gram chocolate bar contains approximately as many phenols, an antioxidant, as a glass of red wine. Antioxidants would protect the body against cancer, cardiovascular disease and even the ravages of aging. A German confectioner, Adolf Andersen, recently launched on the market a chocolate capable, he claims, of countering the aging process. Its claim is based on the fact that its product contains 300 mg of polyphenols …
In February, American researchers revealed that flavan-3-ols, the flavonoid found in greater quantities in cocoa, reduces the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease.2.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health and Associated Press; May 26, 2003.
1. Link to the study on the BMJ website: www.bmj.com.
2. Steinberg FM, Bearden MM, Keen CL. Cocoa and chocolate flavonoids: implications for cardiovascular health.J Am Diet Assoc 2003 Feb; 103 (2): 215-23.
