NEWS: NPD: Chocolate is good for you - official

[janet paterson <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chocolate is good for you - official

Friday, December 18, 1998  - Chocoholics around the world can take heart from 
new research which shows chocolate can help you live longer - as long as you 
don't eat too much of it.

According to US research, people who eat chocolate and sweets up to three times 
a month live almost a year longer than those who eat too much or those who 
steer clear of the substance altogether.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health studied almost 8,000 
American men aged around 65 for a five-year period.

The results were adjusted for other risk factors, including smoking.

People who consumed a moderate amount of chocolate survived longer than those 
who ate sweets three or more times a week and those who never touched sweets.

"As with most things in life, moderation seems to be paramount," the 
researchers wrote in the British Medical Journal.

Although the test included both chocolate and sweets, the researchers believe 
chocolate is the key to a longer life.

They believe it contains substances that protect against heart disease and 
cancer.

Chocolate, like red wine - which is also said to protect against heart disease, 
is believed to contain chemicals called phenols.

These reduce the presence of free radicals that damage cells and DNA, causing 
disease.

The researchers also think cacao, the key ingredient of chocolate, may restrict 
the formation of the type of cholesterol which damages the heart as well as 
boosting the immune system.

However, chocolate is high in calories and eating too much can therefore make 
you fat, increasing your risk of heart disease.

Chocolate, which originates from the Aztecs and was brought to Europe after the 
conquest of South America, is big business.

The average American eats around 6.5 kilograms of it a year.

Friday, December 18, 1998
Published at 10:07 GMT
BBC News Online: Health

janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada
janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx