Dark chocolate is good for the heart

[Japanese]

It's good news for chocaholics everywhere. A few squares of dark chocolate every day could help stave off heart disease, researchers have found.
Its anti-oxidants may prevent arteries narrowing and hardening, according to the team from Switzerland.

The scientists reached their conclusion after carrying out tests on a group of 20 healthy smokers.

The men were asked not to eat foods rich in anti-oxidants - such as onions, apples and cabbage - before being fed 40g (2oz) portions of different types of chocolate.

Smokers have an increased risk of hardened arteries and heart disease.

But after two hours, ultrasound scans revealed that dark chocolate consisting of at least 74 per cent cocoa solids had "significantly improved" blood flow.

Further tests revealed that platelet activity - which can cause blood clots to form - had also halved.

White chocolate produced none of the beneficial effects.

Writing in the journal Heart today, the authors said dark chocolate had more anti-oxidants per gram than many other foodstuffs whose virtues were already recognised, such as red wine, green tea and berry fruits.

They conclude: "A small daily treat of dark chocolate may substantially increase the amount of anti-oxidant intake and beneficially affect vascular health."