Chocolate reduces stroke risk for men, research claims

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/aug/29/chocolate-reduces-risk-of-strokes-for-men


Flavonoids found in chocolate can reduce blood stickiness and cut the concentrations of bad cholesterol in blood. Photograph: Jennie Fairhurst/PA


Eating a standard chocolate bar every week could lower a man's risk of having a stroke in later life by 17%, according to a new study. It suggests that eating even more chocolate could reduce risks even further.

Previous studies have found links between eating moderate amounts of cocoa-rich chocolate and protection against cardiovascular diseases, but the latest study, by Susanna Larsson of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, is the first to search for links between chocolate and the risk of developing stroke. She looked at food questionnaires given to 37,103 Swedish men aged between 49 and 75, in which participants were asked about how often they ate chocolate over a decade. By looking at hospital records, Larsson was able to correlate the chocolate consumption in these men with cases of strokes.

Larsson writes in the latest edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology: "High chocolate consumption was associated with a lower risk of stroke."

Men who ate the most chocolate, a weekly average of 63 grams, had a 17% lower risk of stroke compared with men who ate none. The correlation did not seem to differ depending on different types of stroke.

[liberal N proud]

1. Bring on the Chocolate

And the dark chocolate is even better which is good because that is my favorite chocolate.