Know Your Risk Before It Strikes
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When Hippocrates wrote, “Let food be thy medicine,” he may have been referring to dark chocolate, which has such a wide array of cardiovascular benefits that the BaleDoneen Method ® prescribes 7 grams of dark chocolate daily (one small square) for heart attack and stroke prevention. Nibbling on the sweet treat may also protect against cancer, some studies suggest. Dark chocolate heart benefits show up in many tests. Boost heart health with chocolate starts with small bites.
Derived from the pods of the cacao tree, whose botanical name, theobroma means “food of the gods,” dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, disease-fighting antioxidant compounds also found in tea, wine, fruits and vegetables. Here’s a look at science-backed reasons why eating dark chocolate (which has a much higher cacao content than milk chocolate) can literally do your heart good. Natural heart boost cocoa flavanols fight free bits. They guard cells from harm.
Chocolate May Help Prevent Irregular Heartbeats
In a new Harvard study that included more than 55,000 people, eating moderate amount of chocolate lowered risk for atrial fibrillation (AF), a common and dangerous type of heart arrhythmias that elevates risk for stroke, heart failure, cognitive decline, dementia and early death. The researchers tracked participants for 13 years and found that those who consumed two to six one-ounce servings of chocolate a week had a 20% lower rate of AF, compared to people who ate chocolate less than once a month, even when other risk factors were taken into account.
Results were similar for both men and women, report the researchers, who also report that eating large amounts of the high-calorie treat is not recommended because that could lead to weight gain and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of heart attack and diabetes risk factors). Dark chocolate arterial health tips include this dose. It keeps beats steady.
Eat one square after lunch. Let it melt slow. Flavanols work quiet. They calm heart jumps. Track your pulse if you like. Changes show over weeks. Pair with nuts for full snack. No milk mix. It cuts the good parts. Women see same gains. Men too. AF hits hard if skipped. Chocolate lowers odds clean. Weight stays in check with small parts. Syndrome skips when calories count.
Lower Risk for Heart Attacks and Strokes
In a study of nearly 20,000 people, ages 35 to 65, those who ate the most chocolate had a 39% lower risk for heart attack and stroke. Participants were tracked for about eight years. The researchers also linked chocolate consumption to lower blood pressure, a factor that may explain its protective properties, since high blood pressure is the leading risk for stroke and a major contributor to heart attacks.
While these findings may sound like license to pig out on the sweet treat, the study also reported that the people who ate the most chocolate consumed an average of 7 grams daily, which is the amount the BaleDoneen Method recommends. Reduce blood pressure dark chocolate does this soft. Heart disease prevention chocolate fits daily life.
Blood pressure drops with bites. Check it weekly. Numbers fall slow. Strokes stay away. Attacks drop too. Eight years of data backs it. Folks in middle years gain most. Seven grams hits right. No over eat. Pig out skips the win. Treat stays sweet guard. Walk after your square. Moves pair good. Pressure eases more. Keep log of reads. Doc sees the change. Gains build steady.
Protection Against High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
A Yale study of 2,291 pregnant women found that who ate more than five servings of chocolate a week reduced their risk of developing pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, by up to 40 percent, compared to women who ate less than one serving a week. Pre-eclampsia is a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication that affects about 5% of American moms-to-be.
Women who develop it are at increased risk for heart disease later in life. The researchers attribute the protective qualities of chocolate to one of the compounds it contains: theobromine. Dark chocolate hypertension relief works for moms. It cuts pressure risks.
Five parts a week saves. Less than one ups odds. Pre-eclampsia hits fast. Five percent face it. Later heart woes follow. Theobromine calms vessels. Eat safe brands. No nuts if allergy. Square size fits. Track pressure at home. Doc checks too. Pregnancy stays smooth. Moms gain peace. Kids come safe. Compound works quiet. Relief builds day by day.
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Researchers first discovered that chocolate can enhance heart health from studies of the Kuna Indians of Panama’s San Blas islands, who rarely develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) or high blood pressure. Yet if they moved to Panama City and gave up their indigenous diet, both disorders struck at typical Western rates, showing that it’s not their genes that were protecting them.
Kuna who remained on the islands drank up to four cups a day of a home brew of flavanol-rich dried and ground cocoa beans daily, the National Institutes of Health reports. Drink or eat. Both cut CVD odds.
Islands keep ills low. Moves bring Western woes. Diet holds the key. Genes play small. Four cups brew daily. Beans ground fine. Flavanols pack strong. NIH backs the find. Try cocoa in milk. Hot or cold. Cups add up. Disease stays back. Blood pressure holds low. Simple habit wins big.
Healthier Levels of Cholesterol and Other Markers of Heart Health
Products rich in cacao flavanols (such as dark chocolate or cocoa) may reduce inflammation, triglycerides and insulin resistance (the root cause of almost all cases of type 2 diabetes, as well as 70% of heart attacks), according to an analysis of clinical trials that included more than 1,100 people. The researchers also linked eating these foods to healthier levels of HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and several other studies have similar findings. Dark chocolate lower LDL cholesterol shifts bad fats. Good ones rise too.
Trials show clear cuts. Inflammation drops. Triglycerides fall. Insulin hears better. Diabetes skips most. Attacks drop 70 percent. Over 1,100 tested. HDL climbs up. LDL goes down. Tests match across. Eat for balance. Check labs yearly. Changes show in blood. Heart markers improve slow. Flavanols lead the way.
Dark chocolate fits snacks easy. One square mid day. Melt on tongue. Taste builds crave. Benefits stack quiet. Cancer risks drop some. Tests point that way. BaleDoneen dose works. Seven grams no more. Treat guards without guilt. Pair with fruit. Apple slices dip good. Walk after. Moves lock gains. Blood flows free. Pressure stays low. Vessels thank you. Life runs smooth.
FAQs
Which dark chocolate is best for the heart?
Pick 70 percent cacao or more. High flavanol count. No milk add. Small bar plain. Check labels clean.
Can a weak heart become strong again?
Yes. Exercise builds muscle. Eat heart foods like chocolate. Quit smoke. Meds help too. Changes take months.
Does dark chocolate clean your arteries?
It helps. Flavanols ease plaque. Blood flows better. Not full clean. Pair with walks. Gains add up.
Can I eat 70% dark chocolate every day?
Yes. Seven grams fits. Boosts health without weight gain. More ups calories. Stick to small square.
About the Author: Carol
