As Valentines Day approaches, many people’s thoughts
turn to images of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. Well,
researchers have discovered, somewhat serendipitously, that hearts
and chocolate go very well together.
Dark chocolate has recently become popular as its
health benefits have been publicized. And now, scientists at the
John Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that a few
squares of dark chocolate a day can reduce the risk of a heart
attack by almost 50 percent in some people. Apparently, substances
in cocoa beans have a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in
reducing blood platelet clumping, which can be fatal if it leads to
a clot that blocks a blood vessel. In other words, it functions in
the same way as aspirin in preventing heart attacks.
The discovery came after volunteers for a trial on
the effects of aspirin were disqualified for eating chocolate,
despite being warned that this would interfere with results from the
study. Despite being barred from participating in the drug study,
the chocolate-eaters’ blood was examined and compared with others
who hadn’t indulged in order to determine what effect cocoa has on
platelets. The full results of the study were presented to the
American Heart Association in November.
In spite of these health claims, there’s no getting
around the fact that chocolate is a high fat food. A 40-gram (1.4
ounce) serving of dark chocolate contains about 200 calories and 13
grams of fat, more than half of which are saturated. Cocoa powder,
which is low fat, is a healthier way to ...
