Is chocolate heart-healthy?
Ask the doctor
Q.I keep hearing that chocolate is good for heart health. Is it too good to be true?A recent study, conducted by research teams at Harvard and in Denmark, indicates that chocolate also protects against another heart condition, atrial fibrillation (AF). AF affects between three million and six million people in the United States and raises a person's risk of heart failure, stroke, dementia, and death. The study involved over 55,000 men and women whose health was monitored for 13 years. Compared to those who ate chocolate less than once per month, those who had two to six servings of chocolate per week had a 20% lower rate of AF. However, the apparent protective effect of chocolate on AF seemed to wane in people who ate more than this.
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