Had a heart attack? Eating chocolate twice a week could save your life

Heart attack survivors who snack on chocolate at least twice a week could slash their risk of dying from heart disease.

• New research from Sweden shows chocolate-loving victims are nearly 70 per cent less likely to die from cardiac problems than those who rarely eat the confectionery.
• Even a weekly chocolate treat can help, almost halving the risk of death from heart problems, researchers found.
• The latest findings, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, are the latest in a long line of studies highlighting the health benefits of chocolate, especially dark chocolate.
• Previous investigations have found dark chocolate, which is rich in disease-busting antioxidants called flavonoids, can lower the risk of blood clots, protect against bowel cancer and even help prevent premature births.
• Antioxidants are compounds that protect against so-called free radicals, molecules which accumulate in the body and damage cells.
• Every year, around 270,000 people in Britain suffer a heart attack, and coronary disease remains Britain's biggest killer.
• About a third die before reaching hospital, often because they have delayed seeking help.
• If someone is lucky enough to survive a heart attack, they can still be left with severe damage that drastically increases their risk of dying from cardiac problems in the future.
• But the latest research, by experts at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, indicates snacking on chocolate could be the perfect remedy.
• They tracked 1,169 patients aged between 45 and 70 who had been admitted to hospital with a heart attack between 1992 and 1994.
• Each one was quizzed on dietary habits, including how much chocolate they ate.
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  All the patients were then followed up for the best part of a decade.
• The results showed those eating a few chunks of chocolate twice a week or more were 66 per cent less likely to die from cardiac disease than non-eaters.
• Chocolate once a week reduced the risk by almost half and even an occasional treat - once a month or less - had a small benefit, cutting the risk by 27 per cent.
• But other sweets were no help at all.
• In a report on their findings, the researchers said: 'The health effects of chocolate have been of great interest in recent years. But we know of no other studies assessing the possible effects of chocolate on post-heart attack prognosis.
• 'We found it had a strong inverse association with subsequent cardiac mortality.'
  
• owever, it's unlikely that indulging in high-fat milk chocolate - the most popular type in the UK - will have the same advantages.
• Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'We need to interpret this study with caution as it's based on decade old events, and our diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks have moved on considerably since that time.
• 'Being high in sugar and saturated fat, chocolate is unlikely to prove a miracle solution for heart disease. 
  
• 'Dark chocolate does contain anti-oxidants, but we can all get the beneficial effects of anti-oxidants by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and should keep chocolate as an occasional treat in a healthy, balanced diet.'