A mug of hot chocolate a day could slash the risk of a heart attack in the next 10 years by 31%.
Plant-based nutrients called cocoa flavanols were found to improve the function of the heart as age causes arteries to stiffen.
A study of 42 men found benefits in those under 35 and also those aged 50-80.
It found that vasodilation, the widening of blood vessels, was significantly improved in both age groups that consumed flavanols over the course of the study.
The younger group’s vascodilation improved by 33%, while the older group’s improved by 32%.
In the older age group, a statistically and clinically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure was also observed.
A second piece of research into healthy men and women aged 35-60 found their risk of cardiovascular disease cut by 22% after consuming a flavanol drink twice a day for four weeks.
It also found reduced levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.
The two studies were both carried out by the EU-funded Flaviola Research Consortium.
Flaviola director Professor Malte Kelm, from the University Hospital Dusseldorf, said: “With the world population getting older, the incidence of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and stroke will only increase.
“It is therefore pivotal that we understand the positive impact diet can have on cardiovascular disease risk. As part of this, we want to know what role flavanol-containing foods could play in maintaining the health of the heart and blood vessels.
“Our results indicate flavanols may have preventive potential for CVD.”
The two studies were published in the journals Age and the British Journal of Nutrition.
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