According to a new study in London, small doses of chocolate everyday can decrease the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 40%. Studies showed that people who had an average of 6 grams of chocolate per day (or one square of chocolate bar) had a 39% lower risk of either a heart attack or a stroke. Studies in the past suggested that dark chocolate could be good for you, but this study is the first study to track the effects over a long period of time. Experts suggest that the flavonols (contained in the chocolate) help the muscles in blood vessels widen, which leads to a drop in blood pressure. Eckel, a professor of medicine, said "it was amazing to find such a small amount of chocolate could have such a protective effect, but that more studies needed to be done to confirm its conclusions."
Since I am a big fan of junk food, I was quite excited when I came across this article. For some reason i always believed that the whole "chocolate relieves stress" was a myth and tried to limit myself from eating chocolate as much as possible. but according to research, the cocoa beans in dark chocolate are filled with these "flavonols" that appear to have anti-aging properties! The flavonols are strong antioxidants that help maintain healthy blood flow and blood pressure. These healthy flavonols in cocoa beans prevent fatty substances in the bloodstream from clogging the arteries. but of course it's still important to look at how much sugar the chocolate contains... eating chocolate that's loaded with sugar is definitely not going to help reduce any health risks no matter how much flavonols it has!!
