British Medical Journal.
A recent study has suggested that daily consumption of dark chocolate could prevent heart attack and stroke in high-risk patients with metabolic syndrome.
By using mathematical models, researchers in Australia examined the long-term health effects of daily dark chocolate intake on more than 2,000 people at high risk of heart disease.
The results showed that the daily consumption of 100 grams of chocolate with a 70 percent or higher cocoa content every day could help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.
Researchers also found that consuming dark chocolate could avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal per 10,000 people treated over 10 years.
"We've predicted significant health benefits of eating 100 grams of dark chocolate every day over a 10-year period," said lead researcher Ella Zomer.
"Our findings indicate dark chocolate therapy could provide an alternative to or be used to complement drug therapeutics in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease," Zomer added.
The authors, however, have stressed that they assessed only non-fatal stroke and non-fatal heart attack in their study and the potential effects on other cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, are yet to be examined.
Scientists have warned that excessive consumption of dark chocolate could be harmful as it could lead to obesity which is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), accounting for 30 percent of all global deaths, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.
The study has been published in the