A new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), in collaboration with researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Aalborg University and Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Denmark, found that consuming moderate amounts of chocolate was associated with significantly lower risk of being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF), a common and potentially life threatening type of irregular heartbeat. The findings were based on data collected and analyzed from a large study of men and women in Denmark. The study published online today in the journal Heart.
“Our study adds to the accumulating evidence of the health benefits of moderate chocolate intake and highlights the importance of behavioral factors for potentially lowering the risk of arrhythmias,” said lead author Elizabeth Mostofsky, ScD, MPH, a postdoctoral fellow at BIDMC and an instructor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
