Dark Chocolate Reduces Cardiovascular Risk In High Risk People

Eating dark chocolate daily has been found to decrease the risk of cardiovasular-related events such as heart attacks and stroke for people with metabolic syndrome.

A team of researchers in Australia predicted the long-term effects of daily dark chocolate consumption using a mathetmatical model. They recruited 2,013 participants with a high risk of heart disease, and used their findings to predict more long-term results.

If the guidelines were followed 100 percent, it seems that the eating dark chocolate on a daily basis could prevent 70 non-fatal events, and 15 fatal cardiovascular events out of every 10,000.

Even when the compliance was reduced to 80 percent, dark chocolate could avert 50 non-fatal attacks and 10 fatal attacks out of 10,000.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 17.3 million people died in 2008 from cardiovascular diseases.

Dark chocolate contains flavonoids which are known to have heart protecting effects. The long-effects have not yet been studied, but there has been research into the short-term effects.

The researchers also used the model to show that for $42 per person per year, an effective advertising campaign and prevention strategies program can be put into place that might help save lives.

Only non-fatal heart attacks and non-fatal strokes were actually studied in the model, and the researchers stress that this does not include conclusive evidence on events such as heart failure.

Milk chocolate and white chocolate have not been proven to provide the same protecting effects as dark chocolate. This is probably because of dark chocolates higher cocoa concentration, which is 60 percent.