Chocolate has once again been shown to be part of a healthy diet. More than 19,000 subjects were included in a 10-year-long study called EPIC, which stands for European Prospective Investigation into Cancer. German researchers found that the people who consumed more dark chocolate had lower risks of stroke or heart attack. Their blood pressure was also lower than that of those consuming the least chocolate.
Investigators think that these positive effects can be attributed to flavonoids in foods like cocoa, wine and many vegetables. These compounds help the body make more nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessels (through endothelial NO synthase, or eNOS) and this helps improve flexibility and lower blood pressure. The difference between the high chocolate and low chocolate consumers was small overall, only 6 grams a day. That means a piece of dark chocolate just a bit bigger than a postage stamp–enough to tickle the taste buds but not so much that it adds a lot of calories.
[European Heart Journal, March 30, 2010]
