The cocoa found in chocolate may be good for heart heatlh, according to a new report from usnews.com.
The article cites a study in which 42 men and women were put on a diet that included 40 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with skim milk daily. The participants, who had an average age of 70, were at high risk for heart disease due to various health reasons including diabetes, smoking and high blood pressure.
It was found that after a month, the subjects showed lower levels of inflammatory markers that are associated with heart disease, leading the researchers to believe the cocoa helped lower it.
Dietitians are quick to caution that while chocolate may be beneficial, too much of it isnt a good thing.
“If including cocoa and small amounts of chocolate in an otherwise healthful eating plan helps people enjoy what they eat and stick with that plan, then these things can fit,” dietitian Conne Diekman told usnews.com.
Health website WebMD concurred with this notion, saying that cocoa may help keeping your blood vessels relaxed, which eases blood pressure and helps circulation.