They’re talking about 2.5 ozs, not ‘a lot.’ But every person should know what’s good for his/her heart and overall health, and a patient with a known heart condition should definitely consult with the doc before embarking on any variation to the diet.
It's a lot if the effect only lasts a couple of hours and has to be repeated several times during the day!
“But every person should know what’s good for his/her heart and overall health, and a patient with a known heart condition should definitely consult with the doc before embarking on any variation to the diet.”
Of course. Good point. But sometimes it takes time to “catch on” to what can set off Atrial Fibrillation. Different things cause it in different people. It can be caused by wine, too much salt, too much sugar, MSG, coffee, chocolate, Coke, etc. etc. My point was that, unless the “research” mentions this (possibility that chocolate might trigger A-fib), the “findings” could be misleading and even harmful if people with A-fib do not realize that chocolate, especially DARK chocolate, contains a lot of caffeine and could trigger A-fib in them. Some people can tolerate “a little” A-fib; others freak out as soon as the old ticker starts to run amok. And the freaking out (adrenaline rush) only exacerbates the A-fib. People tend to hear what they want to hear, and a lot of people will automatically assume that “chocolate is good for the heart” and proceed to indulge/over-indulge; and some folks may find themselves in worse shape because of halcyon “research reports” like the one in this thread if they don’t proceed with caution and skepticism.
Hopefully, people will pay more attention to their own bodies (and doctors) than to superficial “research findings” in the news. Some of us can tolerate a Snickers bar (very little chocolate, and it’s not dark), whereas a Hershey bar (very dark) will very likely put us into severe A-fib and possibly the emergency room.