Strokes Less Common In Chocolate Eaters

Eating chocolate may lower your risk of having a stroke, according to an analysis by researchers from McMaster University in Canada.

They said in a news release that a study of nearly 45,000 people found that those who ate one serving of chocolate a week were 22 percent less likely to have a stroke than those who had no chocolate.

A smaller study of more than 1,100 people found that those who had 50 grams of chocolate once a week were 46 percent less likely to die from a stroke than those who don't eat any.

A third study they reviewed did not find a link between chocolate and stroke.

But study author Sarah Sahib said the work did not prove that chocolate was the factor that lowered stroke risks.

"More research is needed to determine whether chocolate truly lowers stroke risk, or whether healthier people are simply more likely to eat chocolate than others," she said.

Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a protective effect against stroke, the news release said.

Sahib's work was to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting.