Eating three chocolate bars a month can reduce risk of heart failure

Good news for chocolate lovers. Photo / 123rf

New research shows that eating three chocolate bars a month could be the key to reducing the risk of heart failure.

This study contradicts those who say sugar has no place in a healthy diet.

Researchers presented their findings at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Munich and said that moderation, not deprivation, is the key to preventing heart disease.

The study looked at more than half a million adults to determine the impact of chocolate on the heart.

They concluded that eating up to three chocolate bars a month can significantly reduce the risk of heart failure. In fact, those who ate those chocolate bars had a 23 per cent less chance of developing a heart disease compared with those who ate no chocolate.

The key here is moderation: those who ate a lot more than those three bars a month also increased their chance of heart failure by 17 per cent.

According to Dr Chayakrit Krittanawong, resident at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and lead researcher of the study, the flavonoids found in chocolate can be good for your health.

"I believe that chocolate is an important dietary source of flavonoids which are associated with reducing inflammation and increasing good cholesterol," he said, quoted by the Daily Telegraph.

Flavonoids in chocolate can increase the levels of nitric oxide in your body, which leads to increased blood flow and better circulation.