People who eat up to two bars of chocolate daily have a lowered risk of heart disease and stroke, according to new research.
In a finding likely to be welcomed by chocoholics everywhere, scientists have found there may be no need to cut out chocolate to protect your cardiovascular health.
Higher chocolate intake - up to 100g - is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events, according to the study published online in the journal Heart. The average chocolate bar weighs about 45g.
The beneficial health effects even extend to milk chocolate, which is often considered to be less healthy than cocoa-rich dark chocolate.
The scientists from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland said that their findings are based on a long-term study of almost 21,000 adults in England, as well as a systematic review of the available evidence on links between chocolate and heart health, covering almost 158,000 people.
Chocolate consumption
In the England study, higher levels of chocolate consumption were associated with younger age, lower weight and more physical activity.
Eating more chocolate was also associated with higher energy intake and a diet that contained more fat and carbohydrates and less protein and alcohol.
Compared to those who ate no chocolate, higher intake was linked to an 11 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25 per cent lower risk of associated death.
Chocolate eaters were also at a 9 per cent lower risk of hospital admission or death from heart diease, after dietary factors were accounted for.
The highest chocolate intake was associated with a 23 per cent lower risk of stroke, even after account was taken of other risk factors. Similar findings emerged from the systematic review.
However, the authors warned that this does not mean the consumption of chocolate caused the effects observed. They said that people often misestimate their food consumption in studies of this type.
Reverse causation may also explain the result, because people at high risk of heart disease eat less chocolate than those who are fitter.
Nevertheless, the scientists said that “cumulative evidence suggests that higher chocolate intake is associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events”.
“There does not appear to be any evidence to say that chocolate should be avoided in those who are concerned about cardiovascular risk.”
