A new scientific study brings more good news for chocolate lovers. Indeed, our heart loves chocolate because it would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) carried out a study with 25,000 men and women and followed them for ten years. They linked chocolate consumption and cardiovascular risks (cholesterol level, occurrence of heart attack, stroke). This observational study revealed that eating chocolate daily reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“A higher chocolate consumption of up to 100 grams per day is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke (…)”, explain the researchers.
Scientists have also observed that chocolate lovers have a healthier life. Less fat, younger and more athletic, they were therefore subjects at less risk of being affected by cardiovascular disease.
Paradoxically, subjects at risk forbade themselves from enjoying squares of chocolate, thinking they were improving their lifestyle.
Benefits already established
If the scientists were unable to establish a link between chocolate consumption and cardiovascular risks, they nevertheless concluded their study on the positive effects of cocoa. “Even so, the cumulative evidence reported in this study suggests that high chocolate consumption may be associated with cardiovascular benefit.”
This study confirms the conclusions of a previous American study published in 2014 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
It revealed that the polyphenols contained in dark chocolate reduced our level of oxidative stress (stress caused by an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants present in our body) and also increased our level of nitric oxide, a substance well known to raise blood pressure. But to benefit from these benefits, you had to taste chocolate with 85% cocoa.
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