People without a sweet tooth need to be warned, as according to a study, if you don’t eat chocolate; your heart is at a greater risk of developing a disease later on in life. The US based study was printed recently in the medical journal, Clinical Nutrition.

As per the study, it was found that people who consumed chocolate five times a week were 57% less likely to contract a cardio-vascular disease. It also presented the benefits of people, who ate chocolates less frequently, and categorized them in the group that was 26% less apparent to suffer from a coronary heart disease.

The study has not surprised research Professor, Jonathan Hodgson from the University of Western Australia though. According to the Professor, the study just further proved that antioxidant flavonoids are beneficial for the heart and reduce the chances of a heart disease. Professor Hodgson further added that such properties are also found in fruits and vegetables, and in great amounts in tea.

The research involved 5000 people and took into account various aspects like family history, diet, health and vegetable consumption.

Though, Susan Anderson, National Director of Health Weight in the Heart Foundation cautioned that this does not mean that people start gorging on chocolate. Chocolate should only be consumed on an occasional basis as a treat. She further added that the chocolate available in the market is not a good source of antioxidants as it is roasted and fermented.