The facts on chocolate, wine and your heart

Valentines Day is a day full of romance and spoiling your partner with guilty pleasures. But according to cardiologists at Mayo Clinic, some of those guilty pleasures don’t have to make you feel quite so guilty.

“We do know that real dark chocolate has some protective effects on the heart and that it’s not harmful,” says Carolyn Landolfo, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. She suggests skipping the milk chocolate and sticking to dark to really get those protective effects.

And how about that glass of wine with your candlelit dinner?

“A small amount of alcohol, in particular the antioxidants and the flavonoids associated with red wine, can be very heart-healthy. But women should stick to just one glass… two for men,” says Amy Pollak, M.D., another cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic. “First and foremost, everything in moderation.”

So while you tend to matters of the heart this Valentines Day, you may actually be taking care of your heart.

Amy Pollak, M.D., concludes, “I think you can have the doctor stamp of approval to have a small piece of chocolate and a glass of red wine on Valentines Day to celebrate heart health and love.”

Source: Mayo Clinic