Eating chocolate may slightly lower your risk of stroke

NHS: “Two chocolate bars a day can SLASH the risk of heart disease and stroke,” the Daily Mirror reports. The headline is prompted by the results from a large study involving Norfolk residents, investigating how chocolate is linked to cardiovascular diseases. These are diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels, such as coronary heart disease and stroke. By comparing the highest chocolate consumers with complete chocolate abstainers, they found that chocolate was linked to a lower risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. However, the risk for coronary heart disease was not statistically significant, so the aforementioned results could have been down to chance.

Chocoalte is good for your heart

Scimex: Hooray - there's no need to give up chocolate to be heart-healthy. Scoffing up to 100g of chocolate-a-day, or one of those big blocks, could actually lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to Dutch and UK scientists. The study of 21,000 people, and re-examined data from another 158,000, suggests chocoholics are 11 per cent less likely to have cardiovascular disease, and 25 per cent less likely to die of it than chocolate deniers, and 23 per cent less likely to have a stroke. Now, lets just hope this chocolate study doesn't turn out to be a prank.

Health benefits of chocolate unveiled

Australian Catholic University: Lovers of chocolate and  those eagerly awaiting their Easter eggs can rest easy this April knowing their  guilty indulgence can actually be a health benefit. Dr Shawn Somerset, nutritionist and Associate Professor of Public Health at Australian Catholic University (ACU), said it’s all thanks to a group of chemicals known collectively as flavonoids - which can have antioxidant properties and improve arterial function.