Already a member? Login

312,052 Members and growing Join Now for FREE

Why Join Blackmores?

Discover all of the features available to members only, including interactive tools, community participation and a free welcome gift.

Watch a quick video

Members Wellbeing Goals

What do you want to achieve? Motivate yourself and others to better health.

Loose weight, age healthy. Sue, NSW

2 FINALLY reach my first 'stepping stone' goal Heidi, QLD

Lose weight and have more energy Debbie, NSW

I want to lose weight for my engagement day Rina

Lower my medication needs Eloise, WA

Set your goal Prev | Next

Hot topics

Join health discussions, share experiences and get wellbeing tips and advice. Start a discussion now.

View all

Is eating chocolate a good way to reduce cardiovascular disease risk?

Posted by: Kathryn Terrill (Digestion)
20 August 2012

Was this helpful?

Is eating chocolate a good way to reduce cardiovascular disease risk?

Could it really be true? The very thing that is supposed to be bad for us and make us fat could actually be good for our heart health? Apparently so.

A new Australian study recruited over 2000 people with high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a collection of risk factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes). The participants had no history of cardiovascular disease or taking medications for high blood pressure. The purpose of the study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption on cardiovascular disease risk. Results were interesting indeed. According to the study, eating dark chocolate daily can reduce cardiovascular events by 85 in 10,000 people treated over 10 years.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, causing around 29 percent of all deaths. Considering that it is largely considered a preventable disease, much research has gone into finding the best ways to keep our hearts healthy. Widely recognised prevention measures include dietary modifications such as increasing fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and reducing our intake of saturated fats and sugars. Polyphenolic antioxidants, natural compounds found in some fruits, vegetables, whole grains, tea and dark chocolate are thought to be cardioprotective in their effects. These natural dynamos have been shown to have blood pressure lowering, anti-inflammatory, and anti-clotting effects, which may contribute to them protecting our hearts and blood vessels.

Comment

Name: *

Gender:

Male Female

Email Address: *

Comment:

I have read and agree to Blackmores Terms of use

* Your post may appear online after a member of the Blackmores Online Team has reviewed it.

Notification

Your post is pending approval

Your post has been sent to a Blackmores Administrator for approval as it contains words or phrases that may not comply with our Posting Guidelines and Terms of Service. A Blackmores Administrator will review your post to determine whether or not it can be published.

You will be notified via email when your post is published or if it has been declined.

For further information about what can and can't be discussed within the Blackmores Community, please view our Terms of Service and Posting Guidelines.