Scientists from the University of Tennessee found that regular consumption of chocolate by postmenopausal women slightly reduces the risk of death from any cause. Research published Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Previous studies examining the relationship between chocolate consumption and cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, have produced conflicting results. In the new study, scientists analyzed data from several thousand women aged 50 to 79 from 40 clinical centers in the United States.
Their diet was initially assessed using the FFQ. During the study, 25,000 deaths were recorded, of which 7,000 were from cardiovascular disease, 7,000 from cancer, and 3,000 from dementia.
The scientists found that the women’s higher chocolate intake at the start of the study was associated with lower diabetes and high blood cholesterol. Also, study participants who consumed chocolate had a lower risk of death from all causes compared to those who did not consume chocolate. The risk was even lower for those who ate one serving each day.
Women who regularly consumed chocolate were slightly less likely to die from coronary artery disease, lung cancer, or dementia (but not Alzheimer’s).
Even so, those who drank chocolate were more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI). They were also more likely to have unhealthy habits such as smoking, increasing calorie intake, eating less, moving less, and consuming more coffee or tea.