The Epoch Times BY
Flavanols from cocoa have emerged as a superfood for your heart, reducing death from cardiovascular disease as well as the incidence of heart attacks and stroke.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- In the first large-scale trial to evaluate the long-term effects of cocoa flavanols on heart disease, notable benefits were uncovered
- Those who received cocoa flavanols had a 27% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease, and incidence of three cardiovascular events — heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths — was also significantly reduced
- Among those who took the cocoa flavanol supplement regularly, there was a 15% reduction in total cardiovascular events and a 39% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease
- Cocoa flavanols have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and hypolipidemic effects, with research showing that even short-term consumption of cocoa and dark chocolate may benefit people with heart disease or other metabolic risk factors
Cocoa flavanols may be protective of heart health, even helping to reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. While chowing down on chocolate candy is unlikely to have the same effect, the evidence supporting cocoa’s benefits for heart health only continue to grow.
Cocoa flavanols were singled out by researchers with Brigham and Women’s Hospital because past studies have highlighted their potential to lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases while offering antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and other heart-healthy effects.1
In the first large-scale trial to evaluate the long-term effects of cocoa flavanols on heart disease, the results confirm this natural compound’s potential to bolster heart health.
Cocoa Flavanols Reduce Cardiovascular Death by 27%
