Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate two or more times per week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared to those who never touch the stuff, scientists have reported.

Smaller quantities confer less protection, but are still better than none, according to the study, which appears in the September issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Earlier research had established a strong link between cocoa-based confections and lowered blood pressure or improvement in blood flow.

It had also shown that chocolate cuts the rate of heart-related mortality in healthy older men, along with post-menopausal women.

But the new study, led by Imre Janszky of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, is the first to demonstrate that consuming chocolate can help ward off the grim reaper if one has suffered acute myocardial infarction -- otherwise known as a heart attack.

Antioxidants are compounds that protect against so-called free radicals, molecules which accumulate in the body over time that can damage cells and are thought to play a role in heart disease, cancer and the aging process.

In the study, Janszky and colleagues tracked 1,169 non-diabetic men and women, 45-to-70 years old, in Stockholm County during the early 1990s from the time they were hospitalised with their first-ever heart attack.

The participants were queried before leaving hospital on their food consumption habits over the previous year, including how much chocolate they ate on a regular basis.

They underwent a health examination three months after discharge, and were monitored for eight years after that. The incidence of fatal heart attacks correlated inversely with the amount of chocolate consumed.

"Our findings support increasing evidence that chocolate is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds," the researchers concluded.

The results held true for men and women, and across all the age groups included in the study.

Other factors that might have affected the outcome -- alcohol consumption, obesity, smoking -- were also taken into account.

So should we all be loading up on cocoa-rich sweets?

"To be frank, I'm pretty cautious about chocolate because we're working on weight problems with so many individuals," said Mukamal, who is also a practising physician.

"However, I do encourage those who are looking for healthier desserts to consider chocolate in small quantities," he said.

"For individuals with no weight issues who have been able to eat chocolate in moderation and remain slim, I do not limit it," he added.

The researchers caution that clinical trials are needed to back up the findings of their study.

In the meantime, however, a bit of chocolate may not be amiss, they suggest.

据有关科学家报告，每周食用两次或更多巧克力的心脏病患者相对于那些从来不吃巧克力的患者，死亡率降低了1/3左右。

《国内医学》九月刊中的一项研究表明，巧克力吃的越少，得到相应的保护也越少；不过怎么也比一点不吃要好。

原先的研究早已将含可可成分的甜食与降低血压、改善血液循环紧密联系在一起。

研究同时表明巧克力还能降低年纪稍长的健康男性和更年期后的女性患心脏疾病的几率。

但是，最近一项由斯德哥尔摩的卡罗琳斯卡研究所的Imre Janszky领导的一项新研究率先证明了吃巧克力确实能帮助那些患有严重心肌梗塞（也就是俗称的心脏病）的人避开残酷的死神，逃过一劫。

防老剂是一种能帮助抵御所谓的自由"激进分子"的化合物。这种"激进分子"

就是久而久之在人体内聚积而成并对细胞造成一定伤害的分子，并且被认为是引起心脏病，癌症以及衰老的一个因素。

该项研究是Janszky和他的同事们基于对20世纪90年代，斯德哥尔摩1169名在45岁至70岁之间非糖尿病患者得出的结论，并且是从这些患者第一次因心脏病发作入院治疗开始跟踪调查了解的。

参加者离院前回答了有关他们之前饮食习惯上的一些问题，包括定期吃巧克力的量。

离院后三个月，他们接受了一次健康检查，并且在那以后八年一直被追踪其病情。结果发现致命心脏病发作的几率与他们吃巧克力多少是成反比的。

研究人员总结道："我们的发现进一步证明了巧克力是一种有益的生物活性化合物。"

该项结果对研究中年龄群范围内的男男女女通通适用。

其他一些还有可能影响结果的因素，如酒精，肥胖，抽烟也已经考虑在内了。

那么我们是不是都应该多吃些富含可可的甜食呢？

同样从事医师行业的Mukamal说道："说实话，在巧克力的问题上，我们一向非常注意，因为还有这么多人有着肥胖问题。"

他还说："然而，我还是会鼓励那些在寻找相对健康甜点的人考虑下适当吃点巧克力。"

"对于没有体重问题，能适当吃巧克力并仍保持苗条身材的人，我不会限制他们吃。"他补充道。

研究人员也提醒他们的这项发现仍需要临床试验加以验证。

然而，同时他们也说吃些巧克力不会出什么问题。