Resveratrol chocolate
Keeping your heart healthy
Recent research in Australia where scientists followed 1,216 women over the age of 70 for a period of nine and a half years, showed that those who ate chocolate at least once a week were 30% less likely to be hospitalised or die from heart disease and 60% less likely to be hospitalised or die from heart failure, than those that ate less than one serving a week. A serving was equal to the amount of Cocoa used in a cup of cocoa.
They found that the women who ate chocolate daily and those who ate it weekly experienced comparable heart benefits. more research is needed to explain the results.
Cocoa, the principal ingredient of chocolate, is a rich source of flavonoids which includes resveratrol. Higher flavonoid intakes are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and flavonoid-rich cocoa and chocolate can reduce blood pressure and improve endothelial function. So resveratrol might be a possible explanation.
