Why chocolate is good for you!

Chocolate is good for you...no, really, it is! We've collated some comforting facts to draw on next time you reach for the sweet treat. Should any nasty person dare accuse you of scoffing something that's not altogether good for your health, just serve 'em up one of these beauties...

ï‚· The flavinoids in chocolate could help fight heart disease. Californian scientist Professor Carl Keen and his team said the chemical, which thins the blood, could help battle the health condition.

ï‚· Eating chocolate three times a month means you will live almost a year longer than those who don't eat it at all, so say Harvard University eggheads.

ï‚· Dark chocolate is your friend when it comes to keeping your cholesterol low. It contains more cocoa than milk chocolate and helps increase levels of HDL cholesterol, which eats away at fat.

ï‚· According to university boffins, flavenols reduce the chances of catching this deep vein thrombosis. A 50g bar of chocolate contains the same concentration of flavenols as two glasses of red wine, 4 cups of tea or six apples.

ï‚· You can inherit a sweet tooth from your genes. So, it's NOT YOUR FAULT you can't stop munching Munchies, all right?

ï‚· Eating chocolate also stimulates the release of endorphins and seratonins — the happy hormones that your body releases. Yay!

ï‚· The people at Chocolate Week want us to remind you that all these health benefits only really count when eating 'real' chocolate — that which has a high cocoa content and a fine flavour.