Patients with atrial fibrillation have higher rates of heart failure, hospitalisation, stroke and cognitive impairment.
Following on from previous studies which have linked chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, to good heart health, a team of international experts set out to asses the link between chocolate consumption and atrial fibrillation or flutter.
They examined data on 55,500 people aged 50 to 64 who were taking part in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study. Participants provided information on their usual weekly chocolate consumption.
During a 13-year follow-up period, 3,346 cases of atrial fibrillation or flutter were identified.
The study, published in the journal Heart, concluded that higher levels of chocolate intake were associated with a lower rate of clinically apparent atrial fibrillation among men and women.