Chocolate Health Benefits: Sweet Could Help Lower Risk Of Heart Arrhythmia, Study Finds

Good news for those with a sweet tooth for chocolate: Filling that craving may actually result in a lower risk of atrial fibrillation, a dangerous irregular heartbeat, a study conducted by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Aalborg University Hospital in Denmark and others finds.

The study was done with data from 55,502 male and female participants who were enrolled in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study, the Harvard Gazette reported. It was done to track connections among lifestyle, diet and cancer rates in participants ages of 50 to 64. Those participating were tracked over the course of 13.5 years, and their chocolate consumption was then compared to the rate of atrial fibrillation.

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The study was published in the journal Heart in May and shows moderate chocolate consumption is inversely related to atrial fibrillation. There were 3,346 cases of atrial fibrillation during the 13.5 year monitoring period among the participants. The researchers found those in the study who reported eating one to three servings of chocolate a month saw a 10 percent lower rate of atrial fibrillation. Those who reported eating a serving a week saw a 17 percent lower rate than those who ate less than one serving a month. And those who reported eating two to six servings per week saw a 20 percent lower rate. After that, the benefits of the sweet treat began to lower percentage-wise. The findings were the same for both males and females.

“Our study adds to the accumulating evidence on the health benefits of moderate chocolate intake and highlights the importance of behavioral factors for potentially lowering the risk of arrhythmias,” Elizabeth Mostofsky of the Chan School told the Harvard Gazette.

But this study isn’t necessarily an excuse to add excess chocolate into your diet. The health benefits of chocolate, derived from cocoa, long have been debated. Many chocolates, like milk chocolate, are high in sugar, which has its own negative health impacts. It’s likely the health benefits that come from chocolate are due to the cocoa content.

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The cacao is harvested by hand from trees that typically grow in hot climates. The beans go through the long process of being made into cocoa first, then chocolate. The less bitter the chocolate, the more sugar there probably is and the less cocoa.

While the study shows an inverse association, it has its limitations. The chocolate consumption was measured as self-reported data, which is typically unreliable. Additionally, all the participants were likely eating different types of chocolate with various ingredients. The findings need to be further studied under more controlled conditions.