You’ve probably heard that a little bit of chocolate might be good for your heart. But is there any truth to this tasty idea?
The answer could lie in special nutrients found in cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate.
These nutrients are called cocoa flavanols, and scientists have been studying them for a while now to figure out if they’re as good for us as some people say they are.
A recent study tried to get to the bottom of this. The study is known as COSMOS, and it wasn’t actually about chocolate.
Instead, it focused on a supplement—a pill—that contains a large amount of these cocoa flavanols. Researchers wanted to know if taking this pill would help people avoid heart problems or even cancer.
What Did the Study Find?
More than 21,000 people took part in this study. They were given one of four things every day: a cocoa flavanol pill, a multivitamin, both, or none (which is called a placebo in science talk).
The researchers were mainly interested in whether these pills could lower the number of heart-related health issues like heart attacks and strokes.
After following these people for about 3.6 years, here’s what they found out: taking the cocoa flavanol pill didn’t really cut down on the overall number of heart-related health problems.
However, it did something very interesting. People who took this pill were 27% less likely to die from a heart issue.
The researchers also noticed that those who regularly took their flavanol pill had even better results, showing a 15% drop in heart-related problems and a 39% lower risk of dying from them.
Why Should You Care?
Heart problems are a big deal. In fact, they’re one of the leading causes of death around the world. There’s a good reason scientists are digging deep to find out what could help keep our hearts healthy.
Previous smaller studies already suggested that cocoa flavanols can make your blood pressure better and help your blood vessels work more efficiently.
This new COSMOS study took it a step further. It looked at real health problems, like heart attacks and deaths, not just signs like blood pressure.
Now, before you go munching on bars of chocolate, it’s worth mentioning that the study wasn’t actually about chocolate.
Why? Well, you’d have to eat a lot of chocolate to get the amount of cocoa flavanols used in this study, which would also mean eating a lot of sugar and fat.
That’s obviously not great for your heart. Instead, the study used a special pill form to deliver a high dose of cocoa flavanols without the extra calories.
Even though the study didn’t find that cocoa flavanols could reduce all heart-related problems, reducing the risk of dying from them is a pretty big deal.
The scientists say we still need more research to make sure these findings hold true in the long run.
The study also checked if these pills could help prevent cancer, but didn’t find any notable results. However, they think this might be because the study wasn’t long enough to see these effects.
What’s Next?
While the findings are promising, we’re not at the point where doctors will be prescribing cocoa flavanol pills just yet.
More research is needed to confirm these results and see if they apply to different groups of people, including those who are younger or have different health conditions.
But if future studies show the same thing, it could be a game-changer. Imagine a future where a daily cocoa pill could help keep your heart in tip-top shape.
Until then, a healthy diet and regular exercise are your best bets for a healthy heart, but who knows? A daily cocoa pill might one day be a part of that picture.
So, the next time you enjoy a piece of chocolate, think about the secret ingredient that might just be a little health hero.
Just remember, for now, it’s best to stick with moderation and balance in all things, chocolate included.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that common high blood pressure drugs may increase the risk of heart disease, and how to control cholesterol to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about food that could strongly increase heart disease risk, and results showing these dietary supplements may prevent heart disease and stroke.
The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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