Chocoholics now have a justified reason to savour their favourite sweet, for a new study has found that eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day for just two weeks could reduce the risk of heart disease.
According to the study, a couple of chunks is enough to cut high blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes, both major risk factors in heart attacks and strokes.
A 'Hearty' News for Chocoholics
A food scientist has given chocoholics another reason to savour their favourite sweet by suggesting that dark chocolate prevents heart disease.
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But the scientists stressed that only dark chocolate, made from cocoa rich in natural ingredient flavanols, is good for the heart.
In tests on 19 people, one half who ate just over six grammes a day over fifteen days showed significant falls in blood pressure. But half given white chocolate showed no improvement, reports The Mirror.
![Daily Dose of Dark Chocolate Helps the Heart: Study]( "Daily Dose of Dark Chocolate Helps the Heart: Study")
Eating a little bit of dark chocolate every day can reduce blood pressure without causing weight gain or other side effects, according to a study published Tuesday in the United States.
Those on dark chocolate saw readings drop from a high 142/90mmHg to 137/87mmHg, a significant decline.
The US and Italian scientists said in the Journal of Nutrition: "It suggests cocoa products may have a positive impact on cardiovascular risks."
Flavanols, present in other plant-based foods such as fruits, red wine, and tea, work by increasing nitric oxide, which lets blood flow freely.
Source: ANI
SPH/M
Daily Dose of Dark Chocolate Helps the Heart: Study
Eating a little bit of dark chocolate every day can reduce blood pressure without causing weight gain or other side effects, according to a study published Tuesday in the United States.
Advertisement
Those on dark chocolate saw readings drop from a high 142/90mmHg to 137/87mmHg, a significant decline.
The US and Italian scientists said in the Journal of Nutrition: "It suggests cocoa products may have a positive impact on cardiovascular risks."
Flavanols, present in other plant-based foods such as fruits, red wine, and tea, work by increasing nitric oxide, which lets blood flow freely.
Source: ANI
SPH/M
Is Dark Chocolate Really Good?
Think hard before pampering yourself with dark chocolates next time as health experts are wary about the claims that the sweet is good for health.
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