In the News:Chocoholics Rejoice: Milk Chocolate May Reduce Stroke Risk in Men

Study confirms chocolate's benefits extend to men

By Jason Koebler

August 30, 2012

 

 

Chocoholic men, rejoice—new research suggests that consuming chocolate could reduce the risk of stroke in men.

Researchers studied more than 37,000 Swedish men over the course of 10 years. Men who ate more than 2 ounces of chocolate per week had a 17 percent lower chance of having a stroke than men who ate very little or no chocolate. Previous studies have shown that chocolate can reduce the risk of stroke in women, but no research measured whether it reduced the chance of stroke in men.

"The association between chocolate consumption and stroke risk was similar in men and women," according to the report, which was published in the journal Neurology on Wednesday.

Previous research has suggested that chocolate can reduce blood pressure, stimulate brain activity, and even reduce pain associated with migraines. Susanna Larsson, of Stockholm's Karolinska Institute and lead author of the report, writes that chocolate likely reduces the risk of stroke because it contains flavonoids, which have similar properties to antioxidants.

"The flavonoids may reduce the risk of stroke through several biological mechanisms, including antioxidant, anti-platelet, and anti-inflammatory effects as well as by lowering blood pressure, increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and improving endothelial function," she wrote.

According to the study, about 90 percent of all chocolate in Sweden consumed during the study was milk chocolate, so they were unable to determine if dark chocolate reduced the risk of stroke, though dark chocolate has more flavonoids than milk chocolate.

The caffeine in chocolate could potentially play a role as well, she speculates. Coffee consumption has been shown to similarly reduce the risk of stroke, though researchers aren't sure why. But there are likely other components of chocolate that reduce stroke risk more than caffeine.

"The amount of caffeine in chocolate is low and cannot fully explain" the stroke risk reduction, she writes.

Though Thursday's news is good for anyone with a sweet tooth, Larsson warns people not to go overboard.

"Further studies are required to confirm this finding before any recommendations about chocolate consumption can be given. Because chocolate is high in sugar, saturated fat, and calories, it should be consumed in moderation," she writes.

Jason Koebler is a science and technology reporter for U.S. News & World Report.

Ecuador Celebrates Best Dark Chocolate in the World

Ecuadorian Chocolate makers, Pacari Chocolate, champion world-class products through environmentally sustainable practices. 

Los Angeles, CA (August 12, 2011) -- Pacari Chocolate was started as a small, family owned company in 2000 by Santiago Peralta and Carla Barboto. The couple set out to build a business that was based on socially and environmentally sustainable principals to ensure that their products would support the well-being of the land and community they were a part of. They also sought to keep their core ingredient, the native Arriba Nacional cacao, from nature to consumption, as pure as possible and in so doing created the first single-origin, organic chocolate made entirely in Ecuador. (http://www.pacarichocolate.com)

Pacari now exports to 19 countries around the world and has been recognized by the leading dark chocolate authority, SeventyPercent.com as being one of the world's best dark chocolates.

Throughout their journey, Pacari has kept focus on their mission statement and commitment to their ecosystem. From growers to producers, the founders and the company at large are involved in every step of production, ensuring the healthy, ecologically conscious and consistent delivery of quality, organic products to their worldwide buyers.

Pacari Chocolate is a representation of the excellence achieved by many small and medium sized Ecuadorian companies. The growth in globally successful Ecuadorian exporters is in part a result of the outstanding efforts of the Government of Ecuador under President Rafael Correa’s Popular and Solidarity Economy, which has encouraged independent and mirco producers to band together as associations (called AEPYS or Actores de la Economia Popular y Solidaria). The collective or AEPYS, operating as a unified group, is able to meet and fulfill the market demand on a consistent basis, while maintaining the highest quality. AEPYS exist in all industries, with an emphasis on food, textile and agricultural products.

According to the National Assembly of Ecuador (Asamblea Nacional del Ecuador) in 2010, 48.9% of total employment was generated by enterprises with 1 to 10 employees; these micro and small enterprises generated 67.1% of total employment. Revenues from small business accounted for 27.7% of the gross domestic product.

"Pacari Chocolate is one of many outstanding, globally successful companies from Ecuador, " says Dick Vega, Trade Commissioner for Ecuador in Los Angeles, "at the Trade Commission of Ecuador in Los Angeles, our doors are always open. We invite companies and individuals to meet with us and explore the opportunities of doing business and investing in Ecuador. We are committed to helping find the right partners who will provide the best possible products and their successful, consistent delivery to market."

[Translation]["Pacari es una de las muchas destacadas empresas que se han colocado en el mercado internacional exitosamente." dice Dick Vega, Jefe Comercial de Ecuador en Los Angeles. " La oficina comercial del Ecuador mantiene las puertas abiertas a empresas y personas para que se reúnan con nosotros y exploren nuevas oportunidades para hacer negocios con Ecuador. Nuestro principal compromiso es ofrecer los mejores productos y su ingreso exitoso y constante de acuerdo al mercado."]

For interested parties, the Trade Commission of Ecuador in Los Angeles will be hosting Pacari Chocolate and several other outstanding Ecuadorian exporters this coming October.

For more on Pacari Chocolate, please visit http://www.PacariChocolate.com

For an opportunity to meet with the Trade Commission, Exhibitors or to attend the product showcase, contact: ecuadortradelax@mmrree.gov.ec or Ecuador@ppmg.info

For media inquiries contact: Popular Press Media Group (PPMG), +1-310-860-7774, media@ppmg.info

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