Tasty chocolate snack that can slash 'bad' cholesterol in four weeks
Tasty chocolate snack that can slash 'bad' cholesterol in four weeks
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A delicious chocolatey snack could help slash “bad” cholesterol, according to a study. Typically thought of as a treat food, chocolate could actually provide a host of health benefits - if paired with another popular snack. Research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, revealed that enjoying some dark chocolate along with almonds could help decrease your cholesterol levels in as little as four weeks. This specific combination was found to significantly reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol - which is more commonly referred to as “bad” cholesterol.
While a certain amount of cholesterol is actually needed for the body, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol can clog your arteries and increase your risk of associated cardiovascular problems. As part of the study, a team from The Pennsylvania State University and Tufts University in Boston conducted a trial on 48 overweight and obese individuals between the ages of 30 and 70 years.
Their aim was to investigate the effects of dark chocolate, cocoa, and almonds on markers of coronary heart disease risk - one of the biggest killers worldwide. To do so they market out four-week long diet periods. As detailed by Express.co.uk, for the first month of the trial, the participants didn’t eat any of the foods in the study. Over the next four weeks they ate 42.5 grams of almonds daily.
