A pair of recent studies about the benefits of chocolate should make chocoholics worldwide a lot happier and their hearts, perhaps, a little healthier.

In one study, Spanish researchers studied the effect of flavonoid-rich chocolate supplements on 42 seniors (average age 70) who were at an elevated risk or had a history of coronary heart disease (CHD) in their families. Patients received either a daily dose of skim milk or skim milk plus cocoa powder containing proanthocyanidins, a beneficial class of flavanols for four weeks, then switched treatments for the same duration.

At least two molecular biomarkers responsible for promoting inflammation in blood vessels were found in far lower levels among patients following the consumption of skim milk enriched with the cocoa powder than after drinking skim milk alone. In fact, these results led researchers to speculate that regular nutritional doses of cocoa may be beneficial to high-risk CHD patients.

In the latter report, Swedish scientists tracked some 1,170 nondiabetic men and women after suffering an initial heart attack, with questionnaires asking patients about their consumption of chocolate over the previous year. After being discharged from hospitals, researchers monitored their collective health for eight more years.

Interestingly, the amount of chocolate patients consumed each month was linked to a reduced risk of death from heart disease by as much as 66 percent among folks who ate it twice or more each week. The bottom line: Based on data culled from other research, a co-author of the study believes chocolate may lower a patient's blood pressure.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition September 23, 2009

ConfectionaryNews.com September 29, 2009

Journal of Internal Medicine, Vol. 266, No. 3, pp. 248-257, September 2009

New York Times September 14, 2009 Subscription Required