How Much Chocolate is Good for the Heart?

We already know the health benefits of cocoa and dark chocolate on heart health, but what seems to be lacking is concrete information on what constitutes a healthy serving. How much, how often? Does one need to be a chocoholic to reap the antioxidant benefits of dark chocolate? Does “the more, the better” principle apply?

A new study sought to answer these questions. The Moli-sani Project, has enrolled 20,000 inhabitants of the Molise region, more than half of which were monitored to identify the relationship between chocolate consumption and C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, which in turn is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.

The results:

Our results have been absolutely en-couraging: people having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced.” The 17% average reduction observed may appear quite small, but it is enough to decrease the risk of cardio-vascular disease for one third in women and one fourth in men. It is undoubtedly a remarkable outcome”.

So far so good. Basically, all these confirm what we already know. Now here’s the part that chocoholics may not want to hear:

Chocolate amounts are critical. “We are talking of a moderate consumption. The best effect is obtained by consuming an average amount of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear“.