Chocolate lovers rejoice as your favorite desert is probably helping your ticker beat in a constant, healthy rhythm. A team of Danish researchers found a link between regular chocolate consumption and lower risks of atrial fibrillation, proving once again that chocolate is an indispensable ingredient in the recipe for a healthy lifestyle.
Chocolate Is Good for the Heart
Even if people usually eat chocolate with the intention to mend a broken heart, the tasty dessert also helps people keep their tickers healthy. After previous studies had found chocolate is an efficient weapon in combating the onset of Alzheimer’s and that it can considerably reduce the overall risk of stroke or heart attack, new research found chocolate consumption is also linked with lower risks of atrial fibrillation. In other words, you should buy your loved ones chocolates to prevent their hearts from skipping a beat.
The team looked at 55,000 individuals in Denmark, analyzing their overall risk of experiencing irregular heartbeat and their chocolate eating habits. The participants were followed for the course of 13 years. During this time, 3,300 volunteers developed atrial fibrillation.
According to the study’s results, people who ate more than an ounce of chocolate per month registered 10 percent lower risks of atrial fibrillation than those who ate less chocolate.
For the patients who preferred to munch on one serving of the cocoa delight every week, chances decreased by an impressive 17 percent. The luckiest participants were those who ate two to six servings of the product per week as they had 20 percent fewer chances of developing an irregular heartbeat.
Moderation Is Key
Individuals who ate more than an ounce of chocolate every day measured only 16 percent fewer chances of experiencing an atrial fibrillation episode, showing that even if chocolate is a super food, it should be consumed in moderation. Researchers recommend dark chocolate with a high cocoa content as it is healthier than all its sugar-filled counterparts.
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