Eating dark chocolate may keep heart healthy

Eating dark chocolate regularly may help lower levels of inflammation, which is strongly associated with heart and blood vessel disease, researchers report in The Journal of Nutrition. To investigate, they looked at 4,849 healthy men and women participating in an ongoing study of adults above the age of 35 years. They included 1,317 people who had eaten any chocolate at all in the past year, and 824 who consumed dark chocolate regularly. Most people who ate dark chocolate consumed 5.7 grams per day. Individuals who ate dark chocolate had healthier diets overall than those who didn’t; they were also younger and of higher social status, but less likely to exercise. The benefits were seen when people ate up to one 20-gram serving of dark chocolate every 3 days, but eating more chocolate wasn’t more beneficial; in fact, effects on CRP levels “tended to disappear” at higher consumption levels, the researchers found.

A little exercise helps the severely obese
When it comes to exercise and physical activity, people who are severely obese often feel defeated and think — why bother. But a new study shows why they should bother. Even exercising an hour a week can boost their quality of life and ability to complete everyday tasks like getting dressed, tying shoes and simply moving around, the study found. The researchers examined the relationship between current activity levels and quality of life in 1,200 severely obese men and women entering a weight loss program. On average, these individuals were 100 pounds overweight. In a pre-program assessment, it was noted that patients who reported being physically active for just under 60 minutes a week, on average, had a better overall quality of life.

Bones may weaken after weight loss surgery
Patients lose bone density after weight loss surgery, and the more weight they lose, the greater the drop, new research shows. To investigate, they followed 23 men and women who had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. This operation involves bypassing the duodenum, the portion of the small intestine that joins to the stomach—the chief site of calcium absorption by the body. Before the surgery, the patients had less-than-optimal blood levels of vitamin D, even though their intake of the nutrient was relatively high. After the surgery, they doubled their calcium intake and were consuming 2.6 times more vitamin D, but their blood levels of vitamin D remained low, and their blood levels of calcium actually fell. Signs of poor calcium absorption appeared within three months of the surgery. The density of their upper thigh bones had dropped by 9.2 per cent and their hip bone density fell by eight per cent but most patients didn’t show loss of bone density in the lower back or the forearm.

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