Daily consumption of dark chocolate reduces risks of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks, says a new research.Monash university researchers showed that dark chocolate’s blood pressure-and-cholesterol-lowering qualities made it a cheap and tasty intervention strategy for a population at high risk of cardiovascular disease. The study conducted by Ella Zomer, Christopher Reid, Alice Owen and Dianna Magliano from Monash department of Epidemioligy and preventive Medicine and Danny Liew from Melbourne University showed that having dark chocolate daily could prevent 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people over a 10-year period. Zomer said the study was the first to examine the long-term health benefits of flavanoids, found in dark chocolate and known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, the British Medical Journal reported. “we’ve predicted signification health benefits of eating 100 gm of dark chocolate everyday over a 10-year period. That’s about the equivalent of one premium-quality block containing a minimum 70 per cent cocoa,” said Zomer. Our finding indicate dark chocolate therapy could provide an alternative to or be used to complement drug therapeutics in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease, Zomer said. We’re not suggesting that the high-risk group use dark chocolate as their only preventative measure, but in combination with sensible choices, such as exercise, Zomer added.