Do you love chocolates? If you do, you may giving your heart a favor as a recent study suggests consuming chocolate frequently can reduce the risk of a common heart condition.
According to the Telegraph, a Harvard study revealed that eating 6 bars of chocolate a week could actually reduce the risk of a potentially heart condition by about 25%.
The study, which involved more than 50,000 participants, found a strong association between regularly eating chocolate and a reduced risk of suffering heart flutter or palpitation.
While the results of the study seems promising, the strong link, however, was found among men who consumed chocolate in 30 gram portions at least two to six times a week. Moreover, those who consumed chocolate had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation as compared with those who did not consume chocolate.
Atrial fibrillation or abnormal heart rhythm causes the heart to beat fast and irregularly which increases the risk of stroke and death.
On the other hand, among women, the effect was associated to eating just a portion of chocolate a week which was linked to a 21 per cent lower risk. In addition, the more chocolate the women ate, their benefits decrease. However, the researchers said this was because their ways were unhealthy.
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While the researchers were not able to note what particular type of chocolate they consumed, they said that it was the natural antioxidants found in cocoa that helps ward off atrial fibrillation by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation.
On a final note, Victoria Taylor, a dietitian at the British Heart Foundation said that the study was only observational.
Although this is a large study, it is only observational and so other factors could also be responsible for the effects seen.
