Past research has shown that 25 percent of deaths among U.S. Hispanic men are because of stroke and heart disease.

Now, a new study published online in the journal Neurology claims that eating a moderate amount of chocolate each week may be associated with a lower risk of stroke in men

Researchers said this is the first study to find that chocolate may be beneficial for reducing stroke in men.

Researchers questioned over 37,000 SWedish men ages 49 to 75 about how often they consumed various foods and drinks and how often they had chocolate.

Researchers then identified stroke cases through a hospital discharge registry. Over 10 years, there were 1,995 cases of first stroke.

Men in the study who ate about 63 grams of chocolate had a lower risk of stroke compared to those who did not consume any chocolate.

Those eating the highest amount of chocolate had a 17-percent lower risk of stroke, or 12 fewer strokes per 100,000 person-years compared to those who ate no chocolate. Person-years is the total number of years that each participant was under observation.

Study author Susanna C. Larsson said the beneficial effect of chocolate consumption on stroke may be related to the flavonoids in chocolate.

"Flavonoids appear to be protective against cardiovascular disease through antioxidant, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties," Larsson said. It's also possible that flavonoids in chocolate may decrease blood concentrations of bad cholesterol and reduce blood pressure."

In a larger analysis of five studies that included 4,260 stroke cases, the risk of stroke for individuals in the highest category of chocolate consumption was 19 percent lower compared to non-chocolate consumers. For every increase in chocolate consumption of 50 grams per week, or about a quarter cup of chocolate chips, the risk of stroke decreased by about 14 percent.

"Interestingly, dark chocolate has previously been associated with heart health benefits, but about 90 percent of the chocolate intake in Sweden, including what was consumed during our study, is milk chocolate," Larsson added.

In March, a new study found that Hispanics born abroad have a much lower stroke risk than their counterparts born, or largely raised, in the U.S., and lower than non-Hispanic U.S. whites.