Chocolate, friend of the heart: eating a little every day prevents arrhythmia

Consuming moderate amounts of chocolate would lead to a significantly lower risk of having atrial fibrillation (AF), an altered heart rhythm.

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Chocolate for the heart! Consuming moderate amounts of chocolate would lead to a significantly lower risk of having atrial fibrillation (AF), an alteration of the heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that originates in the atria of the heart. Consuming a portion of chocolate 6 times a week can in fact preventarrhythmia, a heart disorder consisting of an irregular heartbeat.

This is confirmed by a large study conducted on men and women in Denmark led by researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Previous studies had already suggested that the foods containing cocoa, especially dark chocolate, or those that have a higher cocoa content than milk chocolate, confer cardiovascular benefits, most likely thanks to their high content of flavanols, which can promote the functionality of blood vessels.

Not only does it make you smarter and improve your memory, the chocolate, especially if dark and if consumed in small quantities every day, it also has beneficial effects on the heart and in addition it is a cure-all against stress and relaxes.

But as for theassociation between chocolate and the occurrence of AF - which affects millions of people around the world and is linked to a higher risk of stroke, heart failure, cognitive decline, dementia and death - only now is there certain research. The study, called “Danish Diet Cancer and Health”, lasted 13 years and took place in Denmark involving a very large sample of 55 male and female volunteers.

Over the years, the researchers analyzed the habits and lifestyle of all the participants and parameters such as body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol level, the presence of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. They thus identified 3300 cases of atrial fibrillation, but just in case he came introduced in the chocolate diet, the risk of atrial fibrillation was reduced overall by 17%. In men it was even up to 20% with the consumption of 6 pieces of chocolate in a week, while in women, to obtain benefits, it was not necessary to exceed the limit of consuming one bar in seven days.

Chocolate, friend of the heart: eating a little every day prevents arrhythmia

Conclusion is that consuming small amounts of cocoa can have a positive effect on health. On the other hand, eating large quantities of chocolate is not recommended, due to the excessive amount of sugar, calories and fat.

“We observed a significant association between chocolate and the risk of FA which suggests that even small amounts of cocoa consumption can have a positive impact on health. Eating too much chocolate is not recommended because many products have too many calories from sugar and fat, which could lead to weight gain or other metabolic problems. But the moderate intake of chocolate with high cocoa content it can be a healthy choice, ”says Elizabeth Mostofsky, a lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School and lead author of the study.