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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> When the study began, the women provided a detailed account of the foods they'd eaten over a 24-hour period. The researchers calculated the cocoa intake by looking for seven foods in particular: plain chocolate bars, candy bars, chocolate drinks, chocolate mousse, chocolate-filled croissant, cookies with chocolate and cakes containing chocolate.
In the next 12 years, 493 of the women were diagnosed with some type of cardiovascular disease: 200 had heart attacks and 293 had a stroke. Of the strokes, 189 were ischemic and 91 were hemorrhagic.
After adjusting the data to account for known cardiovascular disease risk factors -- such as smoking, physical activity, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels and diabetes -- the researchers found no statistically significant association in the risk for cardiovascular disease between the highest levels of cocoa consumption and the lowest.
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However, when they broke down the data by type of stroke, they found a statistically significant reduction for women who'd had hemorrhagic strokes and had consumed the most chocolate. In women who ate more than 9 grams of chocolate daily, the risk for hemorrhagic stroke was 52 percent lower than it was for those who consumed less than 0.1 grams of chocolate a day.
Lajous said that 9 grams is about two or three squares of chocolate, and he noted that the French women in the study usually consumed dark chocolate, containing about 35 percent cocoa.
"Our results are intriguing, but need to be confirmed in other studies," he said.
And not everyone is on board with the concept.
"It would be great if chocolate really worked to prevent heart disease and stroke, but I think it's wishful thinking," said Dr. Keith Siller, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Care Center at the New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City. "Although the idea that flavonols -- the bitter part of the chocolate -- can help your cardiovascular health may have some merit, there's no strong scientific proof."
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