HHS HealthBeat (August 24, 2010)

A little chocolate

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A little dark chocolate may reduce the risk of heart failure. But before everyone builds an appetite, let’s emphasize the "little."

At Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, researcher Murray Mittleman examined data on middle-aged and older women in Sweden, who ate dark chocolate.

"A typical serving in this study would be approximately a half to two thirds of a standard chocolate bar in the U.S." (7 seconds)

Those who ate one or two servings a week had about a one-third lower risk of developing heart failure. But those who ate one serving or more a day didn’t get the benefit – and Mittleman thinks it’s because the extra chocolate created extra calories.

The study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 21, 2011