Chocolate Helps Heart Attack Survivors

More fantastic health news for chocolate lovers: another new study has found that heart attack survivors who eat dark chocolate one to two times per week are three times more likely to lessen their chances of dying from heart disease than those who never eat it.

Though other studies have shown that the antioxidants in dark chocolate are good for heart and cardiovascular health in general, this one is the first to show that eating chocolate can actually ward off death for those who have suffered heart attacks previously.

Participants in the study, which has been ongoing since the early 1990’s, included 1,169 non-diabetic men and women between the ages of 40-75 who were tracked from their admission to the hospital after a first-time heart attack. Each was asked about their diets, including how much chocolate they ate, then again three months after, and then they were monitored regularly for the next eight years.

It was found that “the incidence of fatal heart attacks correlated inversely with the amount of chocolate consumed.” The results held up for both the men and women, and in all age groups. How amazing is that?

The study will appear in the September issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

[image: sxc]