Good news for chocoholics — just a few squares of the dark tantalizing treat each day can nearly halve the risk of a heart attack in some men and women.
The rich dessert benefits the heart by decreasing blood platelets’ tendency to clot in narrow blood vessels, according to a report announced by Johns Hopkins researchers at the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago Tuesday. Researchers stumbled upon these findings after discovering some participants cheated in a controlled study examining the effects of aspirin on platelets. Blood platelets in participants who popped pieces of prohibited chocolate took longer to clot than those of participants who stuck to the required eating regimen. “What these chocolate offenders taught us is that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack,” said Diane Becker, investigator with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Unlike previous studies that found eating several pounds of chocolate a day decreased platelet bonding, Johns Hopkins researchers identified the effect of a normal, everyday dose of chocolate — even one or two squares of a chocolate bar. “These results really bring home the point that a modest dietary practice can have a huge impact on blood and potentially on the health of people at a mildly elevated risk of heart disease,” said co-author Dr. Nauder Faraday.
