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| Daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes), finds a new study. (Credit: © Jeremy TAMISIER / Fotolia) |
Daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce
cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in people with
metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of developing
heart disease and diabetes), finds a study published in the British Medical Journal.
Cardiovascular
disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dark chocolate (containing at
least 60% cocoa solids) is rich in flavonoids -- known to have heart protecting
effects -- but this has only been examined in short term studies.
So a team
of researchers from Melbourne ,
Australia
All participants had high blood pressure and met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, but had no history of heart disease or diabetes and were not on blood pressure lowering therapy.
With 100%
compliance (best case scenario), the researchers show that daily dark chocolate
consumption could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular
events per 10,000 people treated over 10 years.
Even when
compliance levels were reduced to 80%, the number of non-fatal and fatal events
potentially averted was 55 and 10 per 10,000 people treated over 10 years, and
could still be considered an effective intervention strategy.
The model
also suggested that $A40 (£25; €31; $42) could be cost effectively spent per
person per year on dark chocolate prevention strategies and could be used for
advertising, educational campaigns, or subsidizing dark chocolate in this high
risk population, they add.
The
authors stress that only non-fatal stroke and non-fatal heart attack were
assessed in their analysis, and that the potential effects on other
cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, are yet to be tested.
Also
important, they say, is that these protective effects have only been shown for
dark chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa), rather than for milk or white
chocolate, probably due to the higher levels of flavonoids found in dark
chocolate.
Nevertheless,
they conclude that the blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects of plain
dark chocolate "could represent an effective and cost effective strategy
for people with metabolic syndrome (and no diabetes)."
Story
Source:
The above
story is reprinted from materials provided byBMJ-British Medical Journal.
Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please
contact the source cited above.
Journal
Reference:
1.
E. Zomer, A. Owen, D.
J. Magliano, D. Liew, C. M. Reid.The effectiveness and cost
effectiveness of dark chocolate consumption as prevention therapy in people at
high risk of cardiovascular disease: best case scenario analysis using a Markov
model. BMJ,
2012; 344 (may30 3): e3657 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e3657