Dark Chocolate May Lower Stroke Risk

Eating dark chocolate appears to lower your risk of stroke or lessen the likelihood of death after a stroke, according to a new review. But the findings, based on a review of existing research, aren't conclusive, and they don't prove that chocolate is good for your heart. And dietitians say too much chocolate can be harmful.

Still, two of the three studies analyzed in the review provide yet another suggestion that health benefits lurk in chocolate, dark chocolate in particular, says review coauthor Gustavo Saposnik, MD, MSc.

If choosing among white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate, "I'd definitely go with the dark chocolate," says Saposnik, director of the Stroke Research Unit at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

One study found no significant association between chocolate consumption and risk of stroke or death from stroke. But another found that the stroke rate was 22% lower in people who ate chocolate once a week, and the third reported that death from stroke was 46% lower in those who ate 50 g of chocolate once a week.

The health benefit may come from antioxidants called flavonoids that are present in chocolate, Saposnik says. Antioxidants are thought to prevent cell damage.

In years past, "the message was that chocolate consumption might be associated with higher LDL [bad] cholesterol or perhaps higher incidence of cardiovascular disease," he says. "Today, we know that all chocolates are not the same."

Saposnik says more studies will help clarify the association between chocolate and stroke risk.

— Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital