Heart attack survivors who eat choccolate two or more times per week can cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared to those who never touch the stuff, scientist have reported.
Smaller quantities confer less protection but are still better than none, according to the study which will be published in next month's issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Earlier research had established a strong link between cocoa-based confections and lowered blood pressure or improvement in blood flow. It had also shown that chocolate cuts the rate of heart-related mortality in healthy older men and post-menopausal women.
The new study, led by Dr. Imre Janszky of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, is the first to demonstrate that consuming chocolate can help ward off the grim reaper if one has suffered attack.
"It was specific to chocolate - we found no benefits from sweets in general," said Mr. Kenneth Mukamal, a researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and a co-author of the study.
It seems that antioxidants in cocoa may be contributing to the life-saving property of chocolate, he told AFP.
Antioxidants are compounds that protect the body against free radicals - molecules which accumulate in the body over time that can damage cells and are thought to play a role in heart disease, cancer and the ageing process.
The the study, Dr. Janszky and colleagues tracked 1,169 non-diabetic men and women, aged 45 to 70 yeards old, in Stockholm Country during the early 1990s from the time they were hospitalized with their first heart attack.
The participants were queried before leaving hospital on their food consumption habits over the previous year, including how much chocolate they ate on a regular basis.
"Our findings support increasing evidence that chocolate is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds," the researchers concluded.
The results held true for men and women and across all the age groups included in the study. Other factors that might have affected the outcome - alcohol consumption, obesity and smoking - were taken into account.
So should we all be loading up on cocoa-rich sweets?
"I'm pretty cautious about chocolate because we're working on weight problems with so many individuals," said Dr. Mukamal, who is also a physician.
"However, I do encourage those who are looking for healthier desserts to consider chocolate in small quantiies," he said.
"For individuals with no weight issues and who have been able to eat chocolate in moderation and remain slim, I do not limit it," he added.
The researches said that clinical trials were needed to back up their findings.
In the meantime, however, a bit of chocolate may not be amiss, they suggested.
Article taken from "Mind Your Body" - 20 August 2009
Straits Times Publication, Singapore
=========================================
Chocolate University Online
Take Your Love Of Chocolate To The Next Level... At Chocolate University Online Our ' Taste And Understand ' Training Formula Guides You With 40 Exceptional Weekly Lessons Helping You Learn All About Your Favorite Food In The Relaxed Setting Of Your Home.
=========================================
No comments:
Post a Comment