Could Eating Chocolate Lower Risk of Stroke And Heart Disease
Cardiovascular
disease is one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It
comprises of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke causing the major burnt.
It was estimated in 2020 that nearly 16.7 million deaths were attributable to
these diseases, with an exaggerating figure of 23.3 million by 2030 probably.
Hence, effective preventive strategies for all these cardio metabolic disorders
are essential to improve overall public health and subsequently reduce the
social and economic burden.
Diet is
one of the key modifiable lifestyle elements involved in the prevention and
further control of cardio metabolic diseases. Chocolate is a highly popular
dietary food throughout the world since ages. But lately it has gained
increasing attention for its potential benefits in cardio metabolic health. A
number of experimental and clinical trials and studies have indicated a
protective role of chocolate against oxidative stress, inflammation,
endothelial dysfunction, and atherogenesis. This has resulted in accelerated
clinical researches on health effects of chocolate in recent years. These
effects have been confirmed in some recent meta-analyses of feeding trials
also, supporting the favourable impact of chocolate on cardio metabolic risk
factors such as lipid profiles, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity.
Chocolate
is a source of flavonoids and is particularly rich in epicatechin, catechin,
and procyanidins (polymers of catechins and epicatechins). These flavonoids
probably reduce the risk of stroke through several biological mechanisms
including antioxidant, antiplatelet, and anti-inflammatory effects as well as
by lowering blood pressure, increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,
decreasing low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, LDL oxidation as well as
improving endothelial function.

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