Executive Summary

As little as 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate a day can almost halve the risk of a fatal heart attack in some men and women by "decreasing the tendency of platelets to clot in narrow blood vessels," according to a Nov. 14 presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago. Diane Becker, ScD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md. et al., conclude the "chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping." From 139 participants, aged 21 to 80, who were disqualified from a much larger study, "The Genetic Study of Aspirin Responsiveness," the researchers found it took 130 seconds for the chocolate group's platelets to clump together in a hair-thin plastic tube, while it took 123 seconds for the non-chocolate consumers...