Chocolate, heart disease, and stroke. . . and other stories
BMJ 2018; 362 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3620 (Published 30 August 2018) Cite this as: BMJ 2018;362:k3620
No benefit of chocolate
Chocolate is rich in flavonoids, which have anti-platelet, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. Even so, the idea that eating chocolate would protect against heart disease was always likely to be wishful thinking. An analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative will bring chocolate lovers down to earth (Am J Clin Nutr doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy073). For 13 years, the study followed more than 80 000 women who were past menopause, and found that those who ate chocolate were no less likely to develop heart disease or stroke than those who never touched the stuff.
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