(Washington Post) — We all know that many women love chocolate. But does chocolate, in effect, love them back? Well, a new study provides new evidence that eating chocolate can protect a woman’s heart.
Murray Middleman of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues studied 31,823 middle-aged and elderly Swedish women, examining how much chocolate the women ate compared with their risk for heart failure over a nine-year period.
Women who consumed one or two servings each week of what is considered high-quality chocolate because it contains a higher density of cocoa had a 32 percent lower risk of developing heart failure, the researchers reported in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure, which is published by the American Heart Association. Those who had one to three servings per month had a 26 percent lower risk.
But women who treated themselves to at least one serving each day did not appear to benefit, the researchers found. The researchers speculate that the reason for that may be that the additional calories of eating that much chocolate instead of more nutritious foods outweighs the benefits.
Previous research has indicated that compounds in chocolate known as flavanoids lower blood pressure. The new study is the first to show over the long term that chocolate appears to protect against heart failure.
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HOW DOES CHOCOLATE AFFECT THE MALE HEART? IF NOT WHY?
THANK YOU
A 26% or 32 % lower risk from what?
Studies such as these are a waste of time and money. Recommendations should concentrate on overall healthy eating habits – and include the odd indulgence in moderation.
If your risk is already low than 26% or 32% is negligible. If your risk is high, then 26% or 32% of a ‘high risk’ is too little to warrant eating more chocolate in order to lower that risk.
How is that risk assessed anyhow? Do the researcher wait until someone dies?
That is right ! I like this comment!.