“Ideal Diet”: Small Amounts Of Dark Chocolate (6 grams) Every Day Shows Great Benefits To Lower Risks Of Heart Attacks And Strokes

 THE STUDIES ARE NOW REALLY STARTING TO BE CONCLUSIVE REGARDING “DARK CHOCOLATE”, WHICH WILL HAVE LOWER LEVELS OF SUGAR …6 GRAMS OF DARK CHOCOLATE A DAY IS TOTALLY DOABLE…

“If you want to eat chocolate, keep it at low amounts and leave out something else in the diet, preferably something also rich in calories,” he said. “If you chose chocolate rather than a bag of potato chips, that’s probably better, because the chips don’t have any nutritional benefit other than the calories.”

A daily nibble of dark chocolate may slash the risk of heart attacks and strokes by more than one-third, a study of 20,000 middle-aged Germans found.

Researchers tracked participants for a decade to unravel the ties between chocolate and heart disease, and unexpectedly found the biggest benefit lay in warding off strokes. Eating an extra 6 grams of chocolate a day, or less than two Hershey’s Kisses, could prevent 85 heart attacks and strokes in every 10,000 people over a decade, said Brian Buijsse, lead researcher of the study published today by the European Heart Journal.

The report provides more evidence about the beneficial effects of chocolate, particularly the dark variety that’s rich in cocoa and potentially protective compounds called flavanols, said Buijsse, a nutritional epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal. Chocolate appeared to have a more powerful effect than fruit and vegetables, a mainstay of a healthy diet. Those who ate the most chocolate also consumed the fewest fruits and vegetables.

The findings shouldn’t be used as a license to binge on chocolate, which could lead to obesity and harm the heart, Buijsse said in a telephone interview.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-30/daily-nibble-of-dark-chocolate-aids-middle-aged-hearts-in-study.html