World News for Students of English

19-06-2015 07:00

Scientists have found that chocolate need no longer be a guilty pleasure. New research by the University of Aberdeen has found that eating up to two bars a day appears to protect against heart disease and stroke.

The study of 25,000 men and women in Norfolk compared people who ate chocolate to those who didn’t. Those with a higher intake were found to have an 11 per cent lesser risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25 per cent reduced risk of associated death.

One in five said they did not eat any chocolate, but among the others, daily consumption averaged 7g, with some eating up to 100g a day.

Although dark chocolate has long been known to have health benefits – such as being full of antioxidants which help to slow the signs of ageing – researchers say there is no evidence to prove that chocolate actually makes you healthier.

Those who ate the most also tended to be younger, have a lower weight, waist to hip ratio, and blood pressure, and were less likely to have diabetes and more likely to carry out regular physical activity – all of which add up to a favourable cardiovascular disease risk profile.

Eating more chocolate was also associated with higher energy intake and a diet containing more fat and carbohydrates and less protein and alcohol.

Difficult words: guilty pleasure (something you really want to have that isn’t good for you), intake (the amount of food that you eat), cardiovascular (relating to the heart and blood vessels – the body’s tubes for blood), favourable (good), profile (a short description of someone).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com