A study led by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm shows that the antioxidants in cocoa are likely to increase survival of acute myocardial infarction, also known as heart attack. By eating cholcolate two or more times per week, heart attack survivors cut their risk of dying from heart disease threefold compared to those who do not eat chocolate.
Patients who had suffered a heart attack were questioned about their food habits in the year prior to hospitalization and then were monitored for eight years. Data indicated an inverse correlation between the incidence of fatal heart attacks and the amount of chocolate consumed.
Earlier research established a link between chocolate consumption and lowered blood pressure, citing the ability of antioxidants to protect against free radicals which contribute to heart disease, cancer and the aging process.
News source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090813/ts_afp/healthdiseaseheartchocolate
