We ve previously reported on various studies touting the alleged health benefits of chocolate consumption, and now new research from Sweden claiming that moderate chocolate intake can reduce a man s risk of stroke can be added to the pile.
Unlike many of the other observational studies, however, the latest one is prospective, lending some support to previous findings that chocolate decreases stroke risk in men and women. For the current study, researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm followed over 37,000 men for an average of ten years. At the study s onset, participants answered various questions regarding their health and also completed a food frequency questionnaire. The survey results were used to assess weekly chocolate consumption, which was then correlated to the participants incidence of stroke, as documented by the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry.
The results showed that compared to men in the lowest quartile of chocolate consumption, those in the highest quartile had a 17 percent lower risk of stroke. The effect disappeared, however, among men with a history of high blood pressure.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross was at first excited to read this report, given its large size, lengthy follow-up, and prospective nature. However, after reading the author s limitations section, I became much less enamored with the quality of this study, he says. For instance, those men who ate the most chocolate were also more likely to be younger, use aspirin, and not smoke. And the subjects consumption of chocolate was only recorded at the study s onset, with no subsequent tabulations. Nevertheless, I have resolved to eat at least 2 ounces of chocolate every day, along with my usual apple.
