The Study on Diet and Heart Disease

Over twenty thousand people participated in a study on their diets in relation to their risk of developing coronary diseases. The participants listed what foods they ate and the frequency that they ate them. Items of chocolate that were included on the list were eight ounce chocolate squares, chocolate snack bars, and cups of hot chocolate.
The lowest consumption of daily chocolate was none at all, and the highest levels of chocolate consumption equaled about three and one half chocolate bars each week.
A recent study published in the journal Heart suggests that you can increase the health of your heart by consuming two hundred grams of chocolate each week. To consume that amount you would need to eat a chocolate bar each day.
The drawback to eating a chocolate bar each day is that you could be increasing your calorie consumption by as much as one hundred and sixty calories a day. With that level of calorie increase, you could add about one pound of weight every eight days. It is recommended that if you intend to add a chocolate bar each day that you replace some other snack that you are already consuming. Like swap the chocolate bar for the chips or soda that you normally have.

Results from researchers

After a year the results were tabulated. The data showed that one quarter of the people who consumed no chocolate had developed some form of coronary disease compared to the ten percent of the people who reported eating the highest levels of chocolate.
Five percent of the participants who ate no chocolate suffered a stroke, but only three percent of the people who ate the highest levels of chocolate suffered a stroke.
The final results showed that the people who ate the most chocolate were twelve percent less likely to have coronary heart disease. The people who ate the most chocolate were twenty three percent less likely to suffer from a stroke.

Why?

Chocolate has antioxidants called flavonoids in it. The healthy effects of cocoa come from those flavonoids.

What does this mean?

This study does not mean to suggest that we all start chomping on a chocolate bar each day. It means to show that dark chocolate does have some health benefits, and that substituting some of the other snacks we indulge on with a piece of dark chocolate could be beneficial to our health.

All Chocolate is Not Created Equal

Chocolate bars are made with varying amounts of cocoa, sugar, and fat. When you decide to indulge in a candy bar, you must compare their fat content, sugar content, and caloric content to evaluate the health benefits, or risks of consumption.
Dark chocolate has more flavonoids than milk chocolate. When you choose a chocolate snack, you should choose one made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.
Watch the calories that you are adding, and the amount of sodium that might be in the chocolate bar you are choosing. Read your labels and weigh your options before you eat.