According to the latest research a few squares of dark chocolate a day can help ward off heart disease. They say six pieces can prevent arteries getting clogged with fat.
Doctors who conducted the research at Zurich’s University Hospital, say the antioxidants in cocoa allows the blood to flow freely.
However it only applies to dark chocolate with a concentration of 74 per cent cocoa solids.
The research, published in Heart, the medical journal, had a sample group of 20 male smokers. Ten of the men were asked to eat 40 grams of dark chocolate each day and the other ten were asked to eat white chocolate.
Two hours after eating the chocolate, the participants were scanned using an ultrasound machine. The research team found those who ate the dark chocolate had a better flow of blood through their arteries compared with the men who ate the white chocolate.
The study shows dark chocolate could be a great source of flavinoids, an antioxidant.
Flavinoids prevent LDL, bad cholesterol from forming plaques in arteries which can be deadly.
Dark chocolate is known to contain antioxidants but is contains phenylethamine, a chemical produced naturally by the brain. It is thought phenylethamine increases levels of serotonin, the mood enhancing chemical.
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