Chocolate, Red Wine to Save Your Heart! Think Again

It has been claimed that red wine and chocolates have the ability to protect the heart, though experts think otherwise! Steffen Desch from the University Of Leipzig Heart Center - Germany, refuses to accept a study, which suggests that chocolate and red wine   lower cardiac risk by 37 percent, saying that the results are merely signs, not proof!

Some studies have been carried out which proclaim that chocolate lowers blood pressure and controls inflammation within the body. But Desch remains unperturbed, saying that he would not recommend dark chocolate as prevention or a treatment choice for cardiovascular disease as there is no compelling evidence that supports the claim. He believes that the calories contained in chocolate are likely to negate any protection to the heart. Desch believes that a more conclusive study is required to test the potency of real chocolate as against a dummy substance that tastes like chocolate.

Similarly, any benefit got from moderate consumption of red wine is miniscule and outweighs the negative effects of drinking too much. Though proposed to help heart health, scientists believe that there is no single ingredient in red wine that works wonders for the heart. They have also taken into consideration resveratrol, a red wine component, highly publisized as an agent for heart health and anti-ageing.

Eric Sijbrands of Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam carried out a series of studies to replicate the positive effect of resveratrol on the heart. His efforts, sadly, failed!

Sijbrands is cautious and says that he would never actively prescribe red wine for a heart condition. He states that any health improvement from moderate consumption of red wine is likely to be outweighed by the adverse effects of excessive drinking!

These findings by experts were presented at the European Congress of Cardiology that took place in Munich.

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That the results are merely signs, not proof!

Source-Medindia