Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease.

Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8x the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:
      ►Lower Blood Pressure—Studies have shown that consuming
          a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce
          blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
      ►Lower Cholesterol—Dark chocolate has also been shown to
          reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10%.

Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:
      ►It tastes good!
      ►It stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
      ►It contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
      ►It contains theobromine, caffeine, and other substances which are stimulants

Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?
More good news—some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid, and 1/3 palmitic acid:
      ►Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
      ►Stearic Acid is a saturated fat; however, research shows it has a neutral effect on
         cholesterol.
      ►Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat—one which raises cholesterol and heart
         disease risk.

That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you!

But Beware...
The above information doesn't mean you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits. Also be aware that some fillings may add sugar and fat which may erase many of the benefits you get from eating chocolate.

One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.

And remember, dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. These other two chocolates cannot make any health claims. Look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with all-natural ingredients or flavorings—like COCO Fine Chocolate's Premium Truffles.

(Primary Source: M. Stibich, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego School of Medicine)