Blood Clots Risk Lowered by Dark ChocolateEating a little bit of dark chocolate each day you could be reducing your chances of developing a blood clot. The researchers said that dark chocolate helps thin the blood, in pretty much the same way as aspirin does.
The research team had started studying aspirin's effect on platelets. Platelets are tiny particles in the blood that stick to each other, eventually forming clumps which make a clot. The scientists compare the blood of the chocoholics to those who had stopped eating chocolate. They found that the chocoholics' platelets clotted at 130 seconds (when
taken out), compared to 123 seconds for the other people. In other words, the platelets of the chocoholics were taking longer to clot.They concluded that chemicals, perhaps flavonoids, in the cocoa bean have a biochemical effect similar to aspiring in reducing platelet clumping. Platelet clumping can block a blood vessel and cause heart attacks.
The scientists say people could benefit from either having a bit of dark chocolate each day or a chocolate drink. It is important its sugar and butter content is minimal. The ideal amount would be about two tablespoons of dark chocolate each day.
Blood Clots Risk Lowered by Dark Chocolate
