Hurray For Chocolate!

We have praised the benefits of dark chocolate and cacao nibs already in two different posts but hear this out: a brand new research published yesterday in the BMJ (British medical journal) concludes that the consumption of chocolate is linked to better heart health.
We can actually say it: “Hurray for chocolate!"

The analysis

The researchers analysed studies including more than 100,000 individuals and found that high levels of chocolate consumption are associated with a significant reduction in the risk of certain cardiovascular disorders.
The studies looked at the consumption of a variety of chocolate and, by many measures, this was linked to lower rates of stroke, coronary heart disease, blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions.
However, no beneficial effect on the risk for heart failure or diabetes was found.
The research showed that those in the group that consumed the most chocolate had decreases of 37% in the risk of any cardiovascular disorder and 29% in the risk for stroke.
But watch out because these findings do not give you free license to dig hard on chocolate as it pretty high in calories. As the lead author of the study, Dr. Oscar H. Franco, a lecturer in public health at the University of Cambridge, points out “Chocolate may be beneficial, but it should be eaten in a moderate way, not in large quantities and not in binges,” he noted “If it is consumed in large quantities, any beneficial effect is going to disappear.”

Considerations

We have already said this: chocolate consumption is good news as far as you keep its high calories content under control.
Also, if you want to get the most of the benefits from it you should choose dark chocolate with high cacao contents (at least more the 70%) or dig on cacao nibs! I personally love dark chocolate with sea salt and raw cacao nibs: delicious!

The Iron You