Recall the Woody Allen film Sleeper when he wakes up in a future where they have discovered that sweets are good for you. We may be entering that future today. A University of California San Francisco study (our public research dollars at work!) finds that chocolate may be good for you.
"A new study finds small, daily doses of dark chocolate improved blood vessels' ability to dilate.
In the study, 11 healthy volunteers consumed 1.6 ounces -- about the size of a chocolate bar -- of dark, flavonoid-rich chocolate every day for two weeks while 10 others ate dark chocolate with very little flavonoid content. Those who ate the flavonoid-rich chocolate had much better blood flow at the end of two weeks.
Chocolates with the highest cocoa content contain the most flavonoids.
Researchers say flavonoids seem to trigger the release of substances that increase blood flow, including flow to the heart.
The study was conducted at the University of California in San Francisco."