LOS ANGELES – A new study claims chocolate can reduce the risk of a dangerous heart rhythm that can lead to major health issues such as stroke, dementia and heart failure.
The Los Angeles Times reports the study of 55,000 Danish men and women showed that people who ate chocolate were up to 20% less likely to experience the heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.
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The Danish subjects were studied up to 16 years.
According to the Times, atrial fibrillation damages heart tissue that changes the way electrical signals travel though the heart.
But certain ingredients in chocolate are reportedly able to counteract those issues.
In the study, people who ate chocolate three times a month were 10% less likely to develop atrial fibrillation compared to those who ate chocolate less than once a month.
Chocolate lovers who eat the sweet stuff two to six times a week had a 20% lower risk.
Before you go out and buy cases of chocolate, know that despite the link between eating chocolate and the risk of atrial fibrillation, there's no proof chocolate was the cause for the reduction of risk.