Chocolate Cuts Risk of 2nd Heart Attack

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 13, 2009 12:24 PM CDT

(Newser) – Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate after recovering are much less likely to suffer a recurrence than people who abstain, AFP reports. People who eat at least two servings a week are three times less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t consume chocolate. And the more chocolate, the greater the benefit. “It seems that antioxidants in cocoa are a likely candidate,” the co-author of a recent study says.

“Our findings support increasing evidence that chocolate is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds,” write the researchers, though the other risks of chocolate could outweigh the benefits. “To be frank, I'm pretty cautious about chocolate because we're working on weight problems with so many individuals,” says the author. But "for individuals with no weight issues who have been able to eat chocolate in moderation and remain slim, I do not limit it.”

[Images (3)]

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A woman eats chocolate at a taste test. (AP Photo)

Chocolate cake. (AP Photo)

A survivor of a heart attack who eats chocolate afterward improves his or her chances of survival, a new study says. (©stevendepolo)

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It was specific to chocolate—we found no benefit to sweets in general.
- Kenneth Mukamal, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

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