Chocolate may lower risks of stroke, say swedish researchers
Having a ‘moderate’ amount of chocolate every week could potentially be linked to lowering risks of developing stroke.
Research from Sweden examined data from more than 37,000 men to investigate potential links between chocolate consumption and the risk of stroke.
Led by Dr Susanna Larsson, the research team said that consumption of a moderate amount of chocolate every week could be linked to a lower risk of stroke in men.
Larsson said: “While other studies have looked at how chocolate may help cardiovascular health, this is the first of its kind study to find that chocolate, may be beneficial for reducing stroke in men.
“Interestingly, dark chocolate has previously been associated with heart health benefits, but about 90 per cent of the chocolate intake in Sweden, including what was consumed during our study, is milk chocolate”.
Larsson said the beneficial effects on stroke found in her study could be related to flavonoids found in chocolate.
She added: “Flavonoids appear to be protective against cardiovascular disease through antioxidant, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also possible that flavonoids in chocolate may decrease blood concentrations of bad cholesterol and reduce blood pressure”.
In the recent study, Larsson and her co-workers examined data from 37,103 Swedish men aged between 49 and 75. All participants were given a food questionnaire that assessed how often they consumed various foods and drinks and were asked how often they had chocolate. The team then identified stroke cases through a hospital discharge registry.
It is revealed that there were 1,995 cases of first stroke over ten years.
Analysis also revealed that men who consumed larger amounts of chocolates – which may roughly be equal to 63 grams each week – had a lower risk of stroke compared to those who did not consume any chocolate.
Those eating the highest amount of chocolate had a 17% lower risk of stroke, or 12 fewer strokes per 100,000 person-years compared to those who ate no chocolate.
In a further larger analysis of five studies including data from 4,260 stroke cases, the risk of stroke for individuals in the highest category of chocolate consumption was one fifth lower compared to non-chocolate consumers.
The team revealed that for every increase in chocolate consumption of 50 grams per week the risk of stroke decreased by roughly over one tenth.