marriott0.01
31-03-2010, 07:51 AM
Chocolate 'can cut blood pressure and help heart'
Easter eggs may not be so bad for you after all, if you eat just a little
Easter eggs and other chocolate can be good for you, as long as you eat only small amounts, latest research suggests.
The study of over 19,000 people, published in the European Heart Journal, found those who ate half a bar a week had lower blood pressure.
They also had a 39% lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Heart campaigners warned that too much chocolate is damaging because it has a lot of calories and saturated fat.
The study looked at the chocolate consumption of middle-aged men and women over eight years.
It compared the health of those who ate the most and least chocolate. Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food
Dr Brian Buijsse, study author
The difference between these two groups was just 6 grams a day, equivalent to one small square of chocolate a day.
The lead author, Dr Brian Buijsse, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, Nuthetal said: "Our hypothesis was that because chocolate appears to have a pronounced effect on blood pressure, therefore chocolate consumption would lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks, with a stronger effect being seen for stroke."
This is, in fact, what the study found. Those who ate more chocolate cut their risk of heart attacks by around a quarter, and of stroke by nearly half.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8593887.stm
Best News I've heard in a long time.
Easter eggs may not be so bad for you after all, if you eat just a little
Easter eggs and other chocolate can be good for you, as long as you eat only small amounts, latest research suggests.
The study of over 19,000 people, published in the European Heart Journal, found those who ate half a bar a week had lower blood pressure.
They also had a 39% lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Heart campaigners warned that too much chocolate is damaging because it has a lot of calories and saturated fat.
The study looked at the chocolate consumption of middle-aged men and women over eight years.
It compared the health of those who ate the most and least chocolate. Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food
Dr Brian Buijsse, study author
The difference between these two groups was just 6 grams a day, equivalent to one small square of chocolate a day.
The lead author, Dr Brian Buijsse, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, Nuthetal said: "Our hypothesis was that because chocolate appears to have a pronounced effect on blood pressure, therefore chocolate consumption would lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks, with a stronger effect being seen for stroke."
This is, in fact, what the study found. Those who ate more chocolate cut their risk of heart attacks by around a quarter, and of stroke by nearly half.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8593887.stm
Best News I've heard in a long time.