A new study from Australia has shown that consuming 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of dark chocolate a day can reduce the risk of developing heart problems in people with metabolic syndrome.  Findings were published in the British Medical Journal.  

How common is metabolic syndrome?  It affects about one in five Americans, including young adults as well as older people.  It is found in 40% of adults over 50 in America.

abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/06/01/d...

Why is chocolate so healthy?  It is rich in flavonoids, which are antioxidants known to have heart protective effects.  It has to be dark chocolate, though, with at least 70% cocoa, and not white or milk chocolate.

Awww...I got all excited when I saw the title...but not a fan of dark chocolate.  Good info, though!

Sounds like a good idea - a nibble of Callebault and a jigger of sherry ........

It's a shame that it has to be dark chocolate, since I've always preferred milk chocolate. At least I'll still  be getting in a vegetable. I claimed as a teenager that chocolate was a vegetable because it was made from the cacao bean. If it was made from a bean, it was a vegetable. Years later I was delighted to find that Compton's Children's Encyclopedia agreed with me.

Now that the big deal in marketing is to claim how loaded a product is with hidden vegetables, I'm going back to considering a chocolate chip cookie as a wonder food.

Dairy from the butter or milk chocolate, grain from the wheat flour, protein from the egg--extra if you add nuts, and of course beet sugar would be another vegetable.

Of course it's a stretch--I do usually use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate, but if it's for my health...

Isn't it nice to hear that anything that tastes good is good for us for a change?

Seems to me that dark chocolate pairs much better with cognac than with wine.