A new Chinese study has reported intake of dark chocolate was associated with a decreased risk for essential hypertension and possibly a reduced risk for blood clots.
Scientists at Shaoxing University, whose research was published in Nature Scientific Reports, wanted to understand how dark chocolate may help lower the risk for several cardiovascular diseases.
They examined data from publicly available genome-wide association studies using a technique called Mendelian randomisation: looking at genetic differences ‘to provide evidence that a particular intervention has a causal effect and helps eliminate the risk of reverse causation’, explained medicalnewstoday.com.
The researchers analysed dark chocolate intake and risk for several cardiovascular diseases, including essential hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, blood clots beginning in the veins and heart attack.
They found chocolate intake may help lower the risk for essential hypertension, as well as ‘a possible causal relationship between dark chocolate intake and decreased risk for essential hypertension’.
In addition, they also found a possible association between dark chocolate intake and a reduced risk for venous thromboembolism (when a blood clot forms in a vein).
The researchers did not find any associations between dark chocolate intake and other cardiovascular diseases.
US dietician/nutritionist Karen Berg told medicalnewstoday.com: ‘For chocolate to be considered ‘dark chocolate’ it has to contain at least 50% cocoa solids, and many dark chocolates are made up of 70% or even 90% cocoa which leaves a lot less room for other additives like sugar.’
She added: ‘Cocoa is rich in flavanols, so the higher the percentage of cocoa in your chocolate, the more health benefits are possible. Dark chocolate is also a good source of fibre, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc… But it is also important to note that the higher the percentage of cocoa, the more caffeine it will contain.’
