Thursday, September 8, 2011

Chocolate Consumption Associated with Lower Risk of Heart Disease

A new meta-analysis has shown that people who consume chocolate have a lower chance of heart disease. However, the study did not look at the specific types of chocolate. Prior investigations have suggested that cocoa products because they contain flavonols may play a beneficial role in cardiovascular disease outcomes. However, there is great reluctance to recommend adding chocolate to the diet as chocolates have a lot of calories and may lead to weight gain.

The bottom line is that for women I would not recommend simply adding chocolate to your diet, but rather swapping out the calories in a modest amount of chocolate for other calories in the diet. Especially, if weight control is a concern, I certainly would not advocate adding chocolate (rather than substituting it) in one's diet. In terms of the type of chocolate to consume, studies have suggested that the higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the better.