Women 70 years of age and older are less likely to develop heart problems if they regularly eat chocolate, a new study claims. Cocoa, which is used to make chocolate, is native to Mexico and Central and South America, and has been cultivated for thousands of years. Natives used cocoa as a beverage and an ingredient in foods.
Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers found women older than 70 who consumed chocolate at least once per week were 35% less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease.
Also, older women eating chocolate were 60% less likely to be hospitalized or die from heart failure. Antioxidants and flavonoids contained in chocolate are thought to reduce heart disease by improving blood vessel health.
For the study, the scientists analyzed data on more than 1,200 older women who ate chocolate for nearly 10 years. Women eating chocolate only rarely were more likely to be hospitalized or die from heart disease, compared to chocolate eaters.
But the researchers are reluctant to urge women to consume more chocolate, given the extra calories.
Other health claims about chocolate include improving brain health, preventing cancer, and antidiarrhoeal effects, but these are largely unproven.
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