Sweetest recipe for a longer life
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.LIFE IS SWEET - and about to get sweeter for chocoholics, now that doctors have shown that they can live longer if they indulge their desires.
A study into 7,841 American men found that those who regularly ate chocolate and sweets lived almost a year longer than those who abstained.
Doctors from the Harvard School of Public Health assessed the subjects' sweet consumption in 1988, when they were, on average, 65, and then tracked them for five years.
"Our attitude towards candy - `if it tastes that good it can't be healthy' - betrays society's puritanical stance towards pleasure," Dr I-Min Lee and Dr Ralph S Paffenbarger Jr write in today's British Medical Journal. "Since it has existed for centuries, we surmised it cannot be totally unhealthy. We decided to investigate whether candy consumption was associated with longevity."
Death rates were found to be lowest among the men who ate sweets one to three times a month, and highest among those who abstained.
The doctors write that their findings reflect the fact thatchocolate contains chemicals known as phenols. These mop up unstable oxidising molecules, known as free radicals, that are linked to a wide range of diseases. They also prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins into a form that clogs up the coronary arteries.
Unfortunately for those planning a chocolate binge the scientists had a warning.
"As with most things in life, moderation [in sweet eating] seems to be paramount."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments