We already know the health benefits of cocoa and dark chocolate on heart health, but what seems to be lacking is concrete information on what constitutes a healthy serving. How much, how often? Does one need to be a chocoholic to reap the antioxidant benefits of dark chocolate? Does “the more, the better” principle apply?
A new study sought to answer these questions. The Moli-sani Project, has enrolled 20,000 inhabitants of the Molise region, more than half of which were monitored to identify the relationship between chocolate consumption and C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, which in turn is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.
The results:
Our results have been absolutely en-couraging: people having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced.” The 17% average reduction observed may appear quite small, but it is enough to decrease the risk of cardio-vascular disease for one third in women and one fourth in men. It is undoubtedly a remarkable outcome”.
So far so good. Basically, all these confirm what we already know. Now here’s the part that chocoholics may not want to hear:
Chocolate amounts are critical. “We are talking of a moderate consumption. The best effect is obtained by consuming an average amount of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear“.