DAILY DOSE Dark chocolates protect your heart

Sydney: Australian researchers have found that eating a block of dark chocolate daily over 10 years has "significant" benefits for high-risk cardiac patients and could prevent heart attacks and strokes. A study of 2,013 Australians conducted at Melbourne's Monash University found that the consumption of 100 grams of chocolate with a 70% or higher cocoa content every day was an effective measure to reduce risk. 

    Lead researcher Ella Zomer said the team found 70 fatal and 15 non-fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people could be prevented over 10 years if patients at risk of having a heart attack or stroke ate dark chocolate. "We've predicted health benefits of eating 100 grams of dark chocolate every day over a 10-year period," Zomer said. "Our findings indicate dark chocolate therapy could provide an alternative to drug therapeutics in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease." AFP