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Eating up to six bars of chocolate a week could reduce the risk of a potentially fatal heart condition by almost one quarter, a study by Harvard University suggests.

The research on more than 50,000 people found strong links between regularly eating the treat and a reduced risk of suffering a heart flutter.

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The strongest association was found among men eating between two and six portions of chocolate a week — with a portion classified as 30g, or a small bar. Those doing so had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation, compared with those avoiding such treats. Among women, the effect was linked to eating just one portion a week, which related to a 21 per cent lower risk.

More than 1.5 million people in the U.K. suffer from atrial fibrillation. The condition doubles the risk of dying from other cardiac conditions, including stroke, heart attacks and heart failure. It occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become jumbled, so that blood is pumped less effectively.