Chocolate May Lower Your Stroke Risk

Now I have it! Adding to the mounting evidence that consuming moderate amounts of chocolate may benefit the heart, there is a new study of Swedish men that suggests it may also lower the risk of stroke. Author Susanna C. Larsson, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, told the media:

"While other studies have looked at how chocolate may help cardiovascular health, this is the first of its kind study to find that chocolate, may be beneficial for reducing stroke in men." Earlier this year, researchers from the University of California, San Diego also reported finding that regular chocolate eaters tend to be thinner.

For this latest study, Larsson and colleagues undertook two pieces of research: a large prospective study of Swedish men, and a meta-analysis of already published studies.

Cohort of Swedish Men

In the first piece of research, a prospective investigation of a large group over 10 years, the team looked at questionnaire responses from 37,103 Swedish men aged 49 to 75 taking part in the Cohort of Swedish Men. The questionnaires had asked the men how often they consumed various foods and drinks, including chocolate.

Then, using the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry, the researchers identified 1,995 cases of first stroke among the men during the 10 years following their questionnaire assessment. The stroke cases included 1,511 cerebral infarctions, 321 hemorrhagic strokes, and 163 unspecified strokes.

Flavonoids found in chocolate may decrease blood concentrations of bad cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.

They found men who ate the largest amounts of chocolate (63 gms, equivalent to a third of a cup of chocolate chips, per week), had a 17% lower risk of stroke than men who never or very rarely ate chocolate. And the type of stroke made no difference to this figure.

To read more about how to justify your daily chocolate fix as a way to lower your stroke risk, and to read the full article, CLICK HERE.