Chocolate may reduce… stroke risk!

Dr. Weeks’ Comment:   I love Woody Allen films, “especially the early ones” and in his movie “Sleeper” where he awakes after 200 years, he has two great quotations :

1) I haven’t seen my analyst in 200 years. He was a strict Freudian. If I’d been going all this time, I’d probably almost be cured by now..

2) When told he was from the 1960’s, the people from the future chortled:    “The 1960’s!  That is when people thought junk food was bad for you!”

Now let’s talk CHOCOLATE…..

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Analysis: Chocolate may reduce stroke risk

IF YOU SUSPECT A STROKE If you believe someone has had a stroke, call 911 immediately. Remember to act FAST: F = Face • Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? A = Arms • Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? S = Speech • Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can the person repeat the sentence correctly? T = Time • If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying. Source: National Stroke Association

A new analysis, which involved a review of three prior studies, suggests eating about a bar of chocolate a week can help cut the risk of stroke and lower the risk of death after a stroke. But the evidence is still limited, says study author, neurologist Gustavo Saposnik at St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto.

“This is something that requires further investigation,” Saposnik says.

One study they looked at found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were 22% less likely to have a stroke than people who ate no chocolate. Another study found that 1,169 people who ate 50 grams of chocolate once a week were 46% less likely to die following a stroke than people who didn’t eat chocolate.

The research appears in this week’s Neurology and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd annual meeting in Toronto in April.

Saposnik says future studies need to address which component in chocolate, the amount, and what kind ”” white, milk or dark ”” makes a difference.

New chocolate-stroke studies should also take into account age and gender of consumers, says Italo Mocchetti, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical Center. Mocchetti, who has studied flavonoids, says this chemical, which is found in cocoa, is linked to anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

The chocolate-health connection is something many clients are interested in, says Katrina Markoff, owner of the premium chocolate line Vosges.

“We get a lot of customers that come in who only want to eat dark chocolate because they believe that it helps their health ”” everyone speaks in cocoa percentages now,” Markoff says. “This generation is really interested in super foods.”