A little of what you fancy?

Good news for those who can’t face the day without a cup of java. It seems that drinking moderate amounts of coffee could help protect us from heart disease. Doctors at the University of Athens studied residents of an island called Ikaria in the Aegian sea, where people tend to live to a ripe old age. Those who were moderate drinkers of the strong local coffee had notably more elasticity in their blood vessels, which means they were less likely to have heart disease in the future.
And that’s not the only reason to be cheerful. Another new study suggests that for women at least, eating chocolate may sometimes be a healthy choice. Researchers from a division of Harvard medical school found that women who ate one to two servings of high quality chocolate per week had a 32% lower risk of developing heart failure.
However, no food or drink is the key to good health alone and coffee and chocolate, like most things, should only be enjoyed in moderation.
The best way to look after your heart is to remember these three top tips:

Don’t smoke. Stopping makes a dramatic difference to your heart within just one year.
Get moving. Being active for 30 to 60 minutes a day can significantly reduce your risk of heart attacks.
Eat well. Cut down on salt, include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet and watch the fat, which can increase cholesterol and lead to coronary heart disease (CHD).

If you treat your heart right, you can feel free to enjoy a little of what you fancy too. Who knows, those treats may even help.