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Milk chocolate can save you from strokes
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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The beneficial properties of chocolate have been known for a long time. It is adored by women, men, small children and the elderly - everyone without exception. However, most sweet tooths, who cannot live a day without even a piece of their favorite delicacy, feel guilty and constantly fight their chocolate "addiction". But it turns out that not everything is so bad. The most important thing is to observe the measure and then the most delicious product can become not only a reason to pamper yourself, but also an irreplaceable medicine that can protect against many diseases.
As is known, small doses of chocolate are useful for preventive purposes for the human cardiovascular system. However, scientists have recently discovered another useful property of everyone's favorite delicacy.
This discovery was made by scientists from the Swedish Royal Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. According to them, weekly consumption of one chocolate bar reduces the risk of stroke in men by 17%.
The study involved more than 37,000 Swedish men aged 49 to 75. Their health was monitored for ten years. During this period, 1,995 cases of first stroke were recorded among the participants. Those men who ate a small portion of chocolate every week were less likely to have a cerebral hemorrhage than those who did not eat this sweet at all.
"The protective effect of chocolate consumption may be associated with flavonoids, which are part of cocoa beans. Flavonoids have powerful antioxidant activity. These substances are capable of protecting against cardiovascular diseases due to their anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, flavonoids contained in chocolate are capable of reducing blood pressure and the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood," says Dr. Susanne Larsson, an employee of the Royal Karolinska Institute. "It is interesting that in this case the type of chocolate is not the key factor. Previously, beneficial properties were attributed specifically to dark chocolate, but about 90% of the Swedish population prefer milk chocolate, which we, among other things, used in our studies."
However, despite the beneficial effect of milk chocolate, one should not forget to observe some restrictions.
“Chocolate contains a large amount of saturated fat, calories and sugar, so no matter what preventive properties it has, you should not forget about the recommended doses of its consumption,” experts emphasize.
To reduce the risk of stroke, scientists recommend eating no more than 60 grams of milk chocolate per week, while a serving of dark chocolate is 30 grams.
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