Nibble on Chocolate for a Healthier Heart
By: Jennifer Warner
Recent research shows that eating a small piece of chocolate everyday can reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack. Researchers in Germany say that eating one square of a 100g bar everyday will reduce your risk up to 39%. However, they warn that eating too much can contribute to gaining weight. A study published in the European Heart Journal followed 19,357 adults for 10 years to observe how many times they ate a 50g bar of chocolate. By the end of this study the researchers found that the people who ate an average of 7.5g per day had a 27% lower risk of a heart attack and a 48% lower risk of a stroke than the people who ate an average of 1.7g per day. This group of people also had lower blood pressure than the group who ate less chocolate.
Researchers say that the benefit of chocolate is because of the high flavanol content of cocoa. Flavanol is an antioxidant that is more apparent in darker chocolate. Flavanols are responsible for the availability of nitric oxide, which causes smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to dilate and lower blood pressure. Nitric oxide also contributes to improving platelet function which makes blood less sticky.
http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20100330/nibble-on-chocolate-for-healthier-heart
Kelli Martinez
VTPP 435-501
Recent research shows that eating a small piece of chocolate everyday can reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack. Researchers in Germany say that eating one square of a 100g bar everyday will reduce your risk up to 39%. However, they warn that eating too much can contribute to gaining weight. A study published in the European Heart Journal followed 19,357 adults for 10 years to observe how many times they ate a 50g bar of chocolate. By the end of this study the researchers found that the people who ate an average of 7.5g per day had a 27% lower risk of a heart attack and a 48% lower risk of a stroke than the people who ate an average of 1.7g per day. This group of people also had lower blood pressure than the group who ate less chocolate.
Researchers say that the benefit of chocolate is because of the high flavanol content of cocoa. Flavanol is an antioxidant that is more apparent in darker chocolate. Flavanols are responsible for the availability of nitric oxide, which causes smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to dilate and lower blood pressure. Nitric oxide also contributes to improving platelet function which makes blood less sticky.
http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20100330/nibble-on-chocolate-for-healthier-heart
Kelli Martinez
VTPP 435-501
posted by Kelli Martinez at 7:49 PM
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