Chocolate Reduce Stroke Risk

German researchers studied 20,000 people over eight years by sending a few questions about their diet and eating habits. Researchers found that those who consume six grams of chocolate per day, about one bar of chocolate, 39% had a lower risk of heart attack or stroke. These observations are published in European Heart Journal, Tuesday (30 / 3).

Previous studies said that consumption of dark chocolate in small amounts is good for you. But this is the first study showing the impact of chocolate consumption in the long term.

Flavonol researchers believe that the elements contained in chocolate that causes this. Flavonols were also found in vegetables and red wine, helps as well as expanding the blood so muscles work to help lower blood pressure.

"It's actually too early to recommend people consume more chocolate. But this is expected to be better than the people's choice of consumption of sugar or high-fat snacks," said Brian Buijsse, head of research epidemologis nutrients from Germany Institute of Human Nutrition, in Nuthetal, Germany

Research subjects from Buijsse and his colleagues possess the characteristics do not have a history of heart problems, has a similar habit of having a heart risks like smoking and heavy exercise, and weight index did not vary.

Since research is usually only observed and did not give them chocolate to find out the effects of early, researchers noticed that most observation even eliminate the possible impact of chocolate on the body. This research was funded by the German government and European Union.

But doctors also warn that excessive consumption of chocolate can increase your weight, so that even a major factor of heart attack and stroke risk.

"This is not a recommendation to consume more chocolate," said Dr. Robert Eckel, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and a former head of the American Heart Association.

"If we just eat a little chocolate every day of life, our weight will also be slightly increased by a few pounds," he said.

Alice Lichtenstein, a nutritionist from Tufts University School of Medicine, said it was difficult to find the relationship declining risk of heart attack or stroke just from chocolate consumption, there is still another possibility of consumption of the subjects that differ from one another.

"The relationship between chocolate and good health is still uncertain," said Lichtenstein. "If someone enjoys the consumption of chocolate, they are supposed to be consumed in small amounts in order to really be enjoying it," he added.