The health benefits of chocolate remain very much questionable, and it looks as though they haven’t been thoroughly studied yet.
Reports on chocolate state that dark chocolate contains flavonoid, an antioxidant that is effective in preventing the formation of blood clots and developing bowel cancer. Besides, it inhibits macular degeneration — the condition responsible for various health problems like blindness in seniors, dementia and premature labor.
Now scientists are beginning to discover the effect the intake of chocolate produces on cardiovascular diseases.
The Journal of Internal Medicine published a study that says eating chocolate can help individuals with a heart attack history diminish the risk of dying from a second heart attack.
It appears that people who survived one heart attack can decrease the threat of another one by three times just through eating at least two chocolate servings per week. And they waive this kind of chocolate protection if they eat less chocolate.
Chocolate with its high cocoa content lowers blood pressure and therefore can be very efficient in improving blood circulation thus bringing down the number of deaths caused by a recurring heart attack.
Scientists are optimistic about the ability of the bioactive compounds in chocolate to keep heart attack victims in a better condition.
Lead researcher Imre Janszky concludes: “if you are not overweight nor have diabetes I would not recommend against eating chocolate.” In her opinion chocolate in small amounts ranks among the healthiest desserts.
Source of the image: flickr.com/photos/wheatfields.
