Chocolate lovers all over the world finally have a legitimate reason to indulge on their sinfully delicious cravings daily! A new research shows that a daily dose of dark chocolate “could lower the risk of stroke and heart attack.”

Aside from being particularly tasty, researchers from Monash University also concluded that dark chocolate is a “cheap intervention strategy” for Australians with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, comprising 30 per cent of the population. Cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death worldwide.

Dark chocolate possesses “blood-pressure-and-cholesterol-lowering qualities”.

"Our findings indicate dark chocolate therapy could provide an alternative to or be used to complement drug therapeutics in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Ella Zomer, a PhD student at Monash University.

Zomer, with Professor Christopher Reid, Dr Alice Owen and Dr Dianna Magliano (Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine), and Professor Danny Liew (The University of Melbourne), predicted consumption of dark chocolate on a daily basis could prevent “70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people over a 10-year period.”

How much dark chocolate do you need to take daily to reap this benefit? Zomer said eating 100g of dark chocolate in a decade, or the equivalent of one premium-quality block with 70 per cent cocoa is enough.

"We're not suggesting that the high-risk group use dark chocolate as their only preventative measure, but in combination with sensible choices, such as exercise," Ms Zomer said.

“Enriched” dark chocolate varieties with high flavonoid levels may also allow consumers to obtain the health benefits with lower levels of chocolate consumption.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal. It is the first study to examine the long-term health benefits of flavonoids found in dark chocolate.

Source: Monash University