Chocolate is an interesting substance. Though at the surface since it is typically calorically rich, one would predict it is bad for one’s health.
However, the cacao bean from which it is derived is filled with unique flavanol antioxidants the chief of which is epicatchecin. These may have life extending properties.
Indeed many small studies have shown an inverse relationship between chocolate consumption and cardiac disease. Furthermore, supercentanarians including the longest lived human ever, report an affinity for chocolate.
This month the British Medical Journal reports the result of a meta-analysis of chocolate consumption.
The researchers looked at seven large studies totalling 114,009 patients.
They found that in the group as a whole, those patients with the highest levels of chocolate consumption had the lowest risk of cardiovascular events including death.
The risk of cardiovascular events was reduced by 36% in the highest chocolate consuming group, and stroke risk was reduce by 29% in the same group.
The researchers noted there was wide variation in how chocolate consumption was measured and included a variety of confections.
I specifically asked lead author Dr Oscar Franco if there was any information available from this dataset to reveal that chocolate could also prevent cancer. “Unfortunately we did not have any records on cancer,” he replied.
It is possible small quantities of regular dark chocolate consumption with minimal sugar content will be beneficial to one’s health.
Source (BMJ)
