So we all love chocolate right! Recently a number of studies have yielded substantial evidence that chocolate loves us or more specifically our hearts.

Over the last few years, “flavanols, a subgroup of plant-derived compounds called flavonoids”, have garnered a lot of attention due to several investigative epidemiological studies that have revealed an inverse correlation between diets high in foods containing flavanols and coronary artery disease mortality, demonstrating a reduction in mortality risk of up to 51%.

Foods high in flavanols “include tea, grapes and wine, cocoa products including chocolate as well as various fruits, especially apples, and certain berries”. Please pass the Goji Bar! Dark chocolate in particular is loaded with flavanols and has been shown to lower blood pressure and keep cholesterol from building up in blood vessels and arteries reducing the risk of clots and arteriosclerosis. All of this results in better blood flow which is very good for your heart.

Bring on the Blueberry Almond Bar or Dark Chocolate Cranberries and get your daily dose of flavanols with Purdy’s.

A German study released in 2010 demonstrates an inverse relationship between chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease – myocardial infarction and stroke over an 8 year time frame.

The study’s participants were middle aged men and women who showed no signs of heart disease at the start. The quartile with the lowest chocolate consumption at 1.7 g/day experienced 106 myocardial infarctions and strokes where only 61 such events occurred in the quartile who consumed the greatest amount of chocolate at 7.5 g/day.

Furthermore, the group that consumed the highest amount of chocolate showed systolic and diastolic blood pressure to be 1 mmHg lower than those who consumed the least amount of chocolate.

Purdy’s has a great selection of heart healthy dark chocolates to lower your blood pressure and keep the clots at bay. We’ve got something special for your heart. Enjoy : )

*The facts and quotes in this blog are sourced from a journal written by Christian Heiss and Malte Helm originally published in the the Journal, Learned Society and Oxford University Press. The German study referred to is ‘Chocolate consumption in relation to blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease in German adults’, by B. Buijsse et al.

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