Mixing olive oil with dark chocolate is good for your heart

There have been many reports about the beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system of consuming olive oil and from consuming dark chocolate. Now researchers have suggested mixing olive oil with dark chocolate to get those benefits.

The European Society of Cardiology reports that there is an improved cardiovascular risk profile when olive oil is mixed with dark chocolate. Lead author Dr Rossella Di Stefano, who is a cardiologist at the University of Pisa, Italy, says it is known that the risk of cardiovascular disease is lowered with a healthy diet. Olive oil mixed with dark chocolate has proven to be a good dietary suggestion for cardiovascular health.

There was an assessment of the progression of atherosclerosis by metabolic changes in this study.

Lipid profile, blood pressure and levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were followed. EPCs are considered to be vital for vascular repair and for the maintenance of endothelial function.

It was observed there were significantly increased EPC levels after 28 days of consuming chocolate enriched with olive oil. Eating chocolate enriched with olive oil was also associated with notably increased levels of high-density lipoprotein, or what is known as good cholesterol.

Dr Di Stefano has commented that he and his research team have discovered there was an association between eating small portions of dark chocolate daily with the addition of natural polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil and better cardiovascular risk profile. This leaves open the consideration that extra virgin olive oil might be a good food additive for cardiovascular health.

The American Heart Association reports that good cholesterol may be boosted by a Mediterranean diet with virgin olive oil. A Mediterranean diet which is enriched with virgin olive oil seems to improve the function of high-density lipoprotein, or the good cholesterol, in patients who are at high risk for heart disease.

This diet may also assist the body in removing excess cholesterol from the arteries while also serving as an antioxidant and helping to keep blood vessels open. These factors have all been found to lower cardiovascular risk.

There is an increased risk for heart disease with increased levels of low-density lipoproteins, also known as LDL or the “bad cholesterol”, and triglycerides. With increased levels of HDL there is a lower risk of heart disease because HDL helps to eliminate excess cholesterol from the blood.

Senior study author Montserrat Fitó, M.D., Ph.D. says that our cardiovascular health can be helped in many ways by adhering to a Mediterranean diet which is rich in virgin olive oil, such as by making our good cholesterol work better. It’s an interesting and tasty consideration by Dr Stefano and his research associates that adding olive oil to dark chocolate can help promote these positive cardiovascular health properties.