Eating Chocolate More Than Once A Week Can Help Reduce Heart Disease, New Study Finds

Someone hand us the choccy because apparently, eating chocolate more than once a week can help reduce heart disease, a new study has found.

Obvs you shouldn't be finishing off a double layered Milk Tray in one sitting, but according to The European Society of Cardiology, eating chocolate more than once a week has shown to be good for your heart.

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They released a new study of more than 336,000 participants, which has now been published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The combined analysis looked at the results of six separate studies over the past 50 years - and the results were very surprising.

Eating chocolate more than once a week (but obviously within moderation) was linked to an eight per cent decrease in the risk of developing coronary artery disease.

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And the best part is, we're not talking about the bitter 90 per cent cocoa dark chocolate variety - nope, this can be any chocolate.

Study author Dr. Chayakrit Krittanawong said: "Our study suggests that chocolate helps keep the heart's blood vessels healthy.

"In the past, clinical studies have shown that chocolate is beneficial for both blood pressure and the lining of blood vessels. I wanted to see if it affects the blood vessels supplying the heart (the coronary arteries) or not. And if it does, is it beneficial or harmful?

"Chocolate contains heart healthy nutrients such as flavonoids, methylxanthines, polyphenols and stearic acid which may reduce inflammation and increase good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol).

"Chocolate appears promising for prevention of coronary artery disease, but more research is needed to pinpoint how much and what kind of chocolate could be recommended."

So just to be clear, this doesn't mean downing an entire Easter egg twice a week is a healthy idea, with Dr Krittanawong explaining that only "moderate" amounts of chocolate seem to protect the coronary arteries.

"The calories, sugar, milk, and fat in commercially available products need to be considered, particularly in diabetics and obese people," he added.

Brb, just off for a healthy snack...

Topics: Life News, News, Chocolate

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine