The scientists from the Royal Karolinska Institute (Sweden) recommend that men should eat chocolate at least once a week.
One chocolate bar every seven days reduces the risk of stroke by 17% over the next decade. To confirm this, the researchers involved more than 37 thousand men, whose age ranged from 49 to 75 years. The experiment lasted for 10 years, during which the researchers analyzed the participants’ diets through questionnaires. Over the years of the experiment, almost 2,000 strokes were recorded among the volunteers. But the risk of the disease was much less among those who at least once a week used products based on cocoa beans.
By the way, this effect was achieved not only by eating dark chocolate, which is traditionally considered the most useful in the chocolate family. In 90% of cases, the Swedes ate milk chocolate, and it also distinguished itself as a preventive agent against stroke. The researchers attribute this to the fact that chocolate contains flavonoids, which prevent heart diseases because of their anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The experts do not rule out the possibility that flavonoids may also reduce blood pressure and lower the levels of “harmful” cholesterol. Thus, reasonable consumption of chocolate may be a way to prevent diabetes, problems with blood pressure and heart diseases.
