In recent years, different studies have been indicating that moderate consumption of chocolate can be beneficial for health. Thus, although it is a very caloric food, it seems to be related to a lower risk of suffering a stroke or developing certain diseases, such as colon cancer . Now, a team of researchers from different North American and Danish institutions indicates in a study published in the journal Heart that, in addition, its intake could help protect us from certain types of arrhythmia, a disease that affects about 34 million people throughout the world. world and that it is more frequent with increasing age. In Spain, it is estimated that 4% of those over 40 suffer from it.
To determine this, they analyzed the habits of 55,500 individuals between the ages of 50 and 64 who are part of the Diet, Cancer and Health project, promoted by the Research Center of the Danish Cancer Society. Thus, they found, for example, that, on average, in the group that took one to three servings per month, there were 10% fewer individuals who experienced the aforementioned arrhythmias compared to those who took only one. This association occurs especially in women who consume it once a week – in their case, the amount increased to 21% – and in men who do so two to six times in the same period of time – up to 23 % -.
These experts took into account other factors that are usually related to the onset of heart disease, such as smoking or diet, in general, but their trial does not include the type of chocolate they consumed – each serving has about 30 grams. However, in the Nordic country it is more common to have milk, with at least 30% cocoa. In any case, the scientists are cautious in their conclusions, since they could not determine the incidence in the results of kidney and respiratory diseases, which are also associated with the appearance of arrhythmias. Additionally, they warn that chocolate is often consumed in heart-unhealthy products that include large amounts of fats and sugars .
