Scientists presented findings Saturday from a clinical trial that showed eating dark chocolate improves blood vessel function, according to Reuters.
Scientific researchers from the Yale Prevention Research Center, one of the groups involved in the study, presented their findings at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in New Orleans, Reuters reported.
During the six-week trial, 45 people were given eight ounces of sugar-free cocoa, cocoa with sugar or a placebo once a day. Researchers found that the participants in both cocoa groups improved their arteries' ability to expand to accommodate increased blood flow. This function improved by 2.4 percent in the participants who consumed the sugar-free cocoa, while the participants who consumed the cocoa with sugar improved by 1.5 percent. Placebo users saw their function drop by 0.8 percent, according to Reuters.
Dr. Valentine Yanchou Njike, one of the Yale researchers, told Reuters the study's results do not mean chocoholics are now free to binge on chocolate.
"While the findings from this study do not suggest that people should start eating more chocolate as part of their daily routine, it does suggest that we pay more attention to how dark chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods might offer cardiovascular benefits," Njike said.
