By David Liu, Ph.D.

Aug 29, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study suggests that eating chocolate may cut the risk of heart disease and stroke significantly. But authors of the study cautioned that no study has ever proved that eating chocolate is the actual cause for the reduction in the risk and further research is needed.

The study found men and women who had the highest intake of chocolate were 37 percent and 29 percent  less likely to have cardiovascular disease and stroke, respectively.  But eating the food was not linked to reduced risk of heart failure through.

Dr Oscar Franco of the University of Cambridge and colleagues found the associations after analyzing data from seven previous studies of more than 100,000 participants with or without heart disease at baseline.

Health benefits of dark chocolate are often attributed to its antioxidative polyphenols.  But studies used in this meta-analysis did not differentiate between dark and milk chocolate.  Milk chocolate does not contain much of any antioxidants if there is any.

Chocolate contains a great deal of saturated fat and sugar, which ironically means that eating too much chocolate can lead to obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

The current study was published on Aug 29, 2011 on the website of British Medical Journal and presented also at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

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