Chocolate Reduces Stroke Risk in Men

A new study shows that men who consume the most chocolate have a 17% lower risk for stroke than those who consume the least.

Researchers at the National Institute for Health and Welfare (Helsinki, Finland) conducted a study that prospectively followed 37,103 men in the Cohort of Swedish Men to investigate the association between chocolate consumption and risk of stroke. Chocolate consumption was assessed at baseline using a food-frequency questionnaire; cases of first stroke were ascertained from the Swedish Hospital Discharge Registry. The researchers then conducted a meta-analysis to summarize available evidence by searching the PubMed and EMBASE databases through January 13, 2012, for pertinent studies.

The results showed that during the 10.2 years of follow-up, 1,995 incident stroke cases were identified, including 1,511 cerebral infarctions, 321 hemorrhagic strokes, and 163 unspecified strokes. Multivariable relative risk of stroke comparing the highest quartile of chocolate consumption (median 62.9 g/week) with the lowest quartile (median 0 g/week) was 0.83, and did not differ by stroke subtypes. In a meta-analysis of five studies, with a total of 4,260 stroke cases, the overall relative risk of stroke for the highest versus lowest category of chocolate consumption was 0.81, representing a 19% decreased risk for stroke for the highest consumers of chocolate--male and female--compared with those who ate the least. The study was published early online on August 29, 2012, in Neurology.

“An inverse relation between chocolate consumption and risk for total stroke was observed in men without hypertension, but not in men with a history of hypertension,” said lead author Susanna Larsson, PhD, of the division of nutritional epidemiology. “It is possible that the blood pressure–lowering effect of chocolate consumption helps explain the association in men without a history of hypertension; such men may have had normal blood pressure at baseline as the result of treatment for hypertension.”

Chocolate is a rich source of flavonoids that may protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD) through antioxidant, antiplatelet, and anti-inflammatory effects. Flavonoids may also lower blood pressure, increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and improve endothelial function. Chocolate also contains antioxidant-rich caffeine, albeit in low amounts. Information on the type of chocolate consumed was not available, so that any association with dark chocolate, previously linked to health benefits, could not be examined.

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