It seems like chocolate is good for the heart as researchers have said that consuming chocolate at least once a week is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, suggests that chocolate helps keep the heart’s blood vessels healthy.
In the past, clinical studies have shown that chocolate is beneficial for both blood pressure and the lining of blood vessels.
“I wanted to see if it affects the blood vessels supplying the heart (the coronary arteries) or not. And if it does, is it beneficial or harmful?” said study lead author Chayakrit Krittanawong from Baylor College of Medicine in the US.
The researchers conducted a combined analysis of studies from the past five decades examining the association between chocolate consumption and coronary artery disease (the blockage of the coronary arteries).
The analysis included six studies with a total of 336,289 participants who reported their chocolate consumption.
Compared with consuming chocolate less than once a week, the findings showed that eating chocolate more than once a week was associated with an eight per cent decreased risk of coronary artery disease. (IANS)