Consumed in moderate quantities, chocolate has many virtues. Especially for cardiovascular health as proven once again by American researchers.
Eating chocolate boosts morale, boosts libido, stimulates the taste buds… that’s good! What about the heart then?
To learn more about the cardiovascular benefits of the world’s most famous gluttony, American researchers analyzed 6 studies conducted over the past 5 decades on the subject. Namely the link between chocolate and the impact on the incidence of coronary heart and arterial disease. In total, this work concerned the files of 336,289 patients. All had reported their chocolate consumption.
Nine years after the start of follow-up, 14,043 patients suffered from coronary artery disease and 4,667 reported a myocardial infarction. ” Consuming chocolate (once a week) reduces the risk of suffering from these conditions by 8%, compared to those who ate chocolate less than once a week “, explains Dr Chayakrit Krittanawong, main author of the study.
Flavonoids and polyphenols
How to explain it? Thanks to the content of ” flavonoids methylxanthines, polyphenols and stearic acid, known to reduce inflammatory mechanisms and increase the production of good cholesterol “.
Small flat, this study does not specify ” which chocolate is particularly effective in protecting our hearts, nor the ideal serving size “. Previous work focused on dark chocolate, much richer in polyphenols and flavonoids than milk chocolate and white chocolate, at the rate of two squares per day, or 10 to 20 grams.
To note : to go further on the cardiovascular benefits linked to the consumption of chocolate, visit this page of the French Federation of Cardiology.
* Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.