Regular consumption of chocolate reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is the conclusion the German scientists who conducted a large-scale health study of 19,000 patients.

Chocolate is healthy food (of course, in moderation.) According to researchers, even a "slice" of chocolate a day can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. This fact was established by German scientists who have analyzed the effect of eating chocolate on health of 19 357 people aged 35 to 65 years. The results were published Wednesday in the journal European Heart Journal.

Scientists have found that those who consumed an average of 7.5 grams of chocolate per day had lower blood pressure and risk of heart attack or stroke was by 39% less than those who ate the least amount of the average chocolate among participants - 1.7 grams a day. 7.5 grams - is roughly equivalent of one "lobe" standard 100-gram chocolate.

The author of experiment - Dr. Brian Buysse of the German Institute of Human Nutrition, commenting on the study, for clarity, the above figures are translated into absolute. "There is a group of people who use the least amount of chocolate. At these rates in 219 out of 10,000 of them had or have heart attack or stroke. These people increase consumption to six grams of chocolate per day will lead to the fact that within ten years the number of cases of heart disease will be reduced by 85" - he says.

In this case, Dr. Buysse said that chocolate can not be abused. "Only a small amount of chocolate instead of other energy-dense foods can help prevent heart disease, because you need to keep your weight stable," - he said.

Data on such a large number of people, scientists have of Potsdam part of the European prospective investigation of cancer and nutrition (EPIC). In the course of it, scientists have the results of medical examinations of a large number of people, including blood pressure, weight and height, dated between 1994 and 1998. In addition, patients answered questions about their diet and lifestyle, for example, how often do they eat at one time the whole chocolate bar. Then every 2-3 years up to December 2006, the research scientists reported information on whether they had a heart attack or stroke.

This information is then verified by medical records. Those people who have died in the years that research were to examine the circumstances of their deaths for heart disease.

"Our hypothesis is that the chocolate has a significant effect on blood pressure and therefore its use reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks," - said Dr. Buysse.

It is likely this is due to the content of flavonoids in chocolate - substances that are contained in the cocoa and make blood less thick. They are able to reduce the pressure, because it stimulates the production of nitric oxide dilates blood vessels.