Health Net: Sweet foods are not necessarily bad for your health. At the very least, this proved to brown. The researchers studied the health data of more than 33 thousand Swedish women and found that the more they eat chocolate, the lower their risk of stroke.
Although these results strengthen the evidence of an association between consumption of cocoa and cardiovascular health, it does not mean we can eat chocolate in large quantities. The study is a result of this observation does not indicate that chocolate that lowering the risk of stroke, said Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
Larsson believes that chocolate is beneficial for health, but he also warned that consumption of too much would be counterproductive. Chocolate should be consumed in moderate quantities because it has calories, fat, and sugar high, he said.
While dark chocolate consists of cocoa in higher numbers and less sugar than milk chocolate, eating dark chocolate would be more beneficial, said Larsson.
The findings of Larsson and colleagues were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This research is an adaptation of mammography studies involving self-reports about how much chocolate is consumed by women in 1997. The ages of the women were 49-83 years old.
A decade later, recorded 1549 cases of stroke, and the more brown women consumed, the lower their risk.
Among those who ate chocolate with the highest levels, ie more than 45 grams per week, found 2.5 cases of stroke per 1,000 women per year. Before that, the numbers are 7.8 per 1,000 among women who ate chocolate less than 8.9 grams a week.
Researchers suspect that substances known as flavonoids, usually called flavanols, is the substance responsible for the effect of chocolate on the health of our bodies.
According to Larsson, flavonoids (antioxidants found naturally in plants) appeared to decrease high blood pressure, a risk factor for stroke. These substances are also improving other blood factors linked with heart health. But to be able to apply these findings in everyday life, further research is needed and thorough.
Nearly 800 thousand Americans suffer a stroke each year. One-sixth of that number died from a stroke and most of the others were maimed. For those who have high risk, doctors recommend taking blood pressure-lowering drugs, smoking cessation, more exercise and eat healthy. So far, the chocolate is not included in the list of recommended healthy foods.
