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Though the studies have not yet been undertaken to prove it, there are strong reasons to believe that chocolate can help protect you against many other illnesses besides cardiovascular disease as well. We know that free radicals are associated with many of the diseases that are the scourge of modern societyeverything from cancer and Alzheimers disease to rheumatoid arthritis and cataracts. We know that antioxidants cleanse the body of free radicals. And we know that chocolate is abundant in flavonoids, some of the most potent polyphenol antioxidants known (100 times more potent than vitamin C).

Cardiovascular Disease

The evidence linking antioxidants to reduced cardiovascular disease is overwhelming. A study at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston of 1,800 nurses with histories of coronary problems found that women who consumed high amounts of antioxidant-rich foods had a 33 percent lower risk of heart attack and a 71 percent lower risk of stroke compared to women who ate few foods containing antioxidants.

Much of the best evidence involves consumption of red wine, which contains the same flavonoids (a subgroup of polyphenols) as chocolate. Huge studies, such as the American Cancer Society Study of 276,802 people and the Nurse's Health Study of 87,526 women, all show a 20 to 40 percent decrease in coronary heart disease among moderate drinkers, compared to nondrinkers. The most recent, most conclusive studya Harvard School of Public Health study of 38,000 men over twelve yearsalso found a 30 to 35 percent lower risk of heart attack in those who consumed alcohol, especially those who consumed it regularly.

For surveying health studies, tea is probably an even better stand-in for chocolate than is red wine. Tea and chocolate contain the same flavonoids as red wine, though chocolate has the flavonoids in even greater concentrations. Tea and chocolate also both contain caffeine, but no alcohol. Unlike chocolate, tea has been extensively studied over the past ten years to determine its potential as a health food. Numerous studies have confirmed its power to prevent heart disease, cancer, and many other diseases, and there is overwhelming evidence that the flavonoids are responsible. It seems likely that chocolate's powers of health prevention are in line with those of tea.

One tea study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of people recovering from heart attacks found that, in the three and a half years following their heart attacks, heavy tea drinkers (those who drank more than two cups per day) had a 44 percent lower death rate than did non-tea-drinkers, while moderate tea drinkers had a 28 percent lower rate. Other recent studies with tea confirmed that it improves the ability of blood vessels to dilate and that it has an anticlotting effect. As with chocolate, flavonoids are believed to be the compounds responsible for this effect. In Japan, people who drank at least three cups of tea per day had an 11 percent lower risk of heart attack than people who drank less tea than that. Japanese who drank 5 to 10 cups per day live longer than those who don't.

Another recent study at the USDA had volunteers drink five cups of tea-flavored water for three weeks, followed by five cups a day of real tea for the same period. The tea drinking resulted in a 10 percent reduction in bad LDL cholesterol rates, but no change in good HDL cholesterol.


 
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