Cardiometabolic risk is defined as a cluster of risk factors such as; high blood pressure, high glucose, high triglycerides, abdominal obesity defined by waist circumference or hip-waist ratio, smoking, and physical inactivity. The combination of these risk factors may lead to an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, reports that almost 25% the current population has a cardiometabolic disorder. Cardiometabolic disorders can include metabolic syndrome, syndrome X, cardiovascular disease (including coronary heart disease and stroke), diabetes, and insulin-resistance syndrome.
New research in British Medical Journal evaluated chocolate consumption and the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. Researchers conducted a literature review of seven studies, examining chocolate consumption, and a reduction in the risk of cardiometabolic disorders. Researchers noted that five of the seven studies reported a significant association between high levels of chocolate consumption and the reduction of developing cardiometabolic disorders. Researchers also found the highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke.
Further research is required to confirm these interesting and promising results with a wider demographic of subjects, in a longitudinal pattern, to assess the beneficial effect of chocolate consumption.
