For years it's been common knowledge that dark chocolate is best for your health, but surprising new research indicates that milk chocolate may be just as good.
We all love the smooth richness of milk chocolate, but had always been taught that it is milk chocolate’s bitter cousin, dark chocolate, that was better for our hearts. Well, scientists have found that that might not actually be the case.
A new study published in the journal Heart finds that milk chocolate is just as good for your heart as dark chocolate, or at least that there’s a negligible difference, according to a Statesboro Herald report.
Based on health data from 21,000 men and women over a 12-year period, researchers at the University of Aberdeen in England have discovered that those who ate the most chocolate saw their risk of coronary heart disease drop 11 percent, and their risk of stroke fall 23 percent. Even more interesting, there’s no indication that any kind of chocolate — milk chocolate included — should be avoided by those who want to reduce their risk of heart problems.
There have been plenty of studies in the past that suggest that dark chocolate can cut the risk of heart failure in women by an astounding third, but it had been suggested that these benefits were mainly limited to dark chocolate.
Why is chocolate so beneficial to the heart? Scientists aren’t sure, but it could be flavonols in chocolate.
Either way, don’t go crazy with the chocolate. Consumption should be 3.5 ounces or less, scientists warn, or you may reverse the good effects by gaining weight.
