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A bite-sized boon for chocoholics

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 4, 2007

CHICAGO - Chocolate lovers looking for a little science to justify your habit, more good news: A study out Tuesday said dark chocolate seems to lower blood pressure.

But - darn the inevitable but - the study found that just a tiny amount of chocolate may suffice. Less than the amount in two Hershey's Kisses, to be precise.

In other words, no throwing down massive amounts of chocolate in the name of good health.

The German study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said dark chocolate is so rich in the class of biochemicals called flavonols that it produces favorable effects on the cardiovascular system. (Flavonols are those plant-based compounds that also are credited with giving red wine its heart-healthy benefits.)

University of Cologne researcher Dirk Taubert, the study's lead author, said the blood pressure reductions with dark chocolate were small but substantial enough potentially to reduce cardiovascular disease risks, although study volunteers weren't followed long enough to measure that effect. The research involved just 44 people aged 56 through 73.

Volunteers for the study ate just over 6 grams of dark chocolate daily for almost five months -one square from a German chocolate bar called Ritter Sport - equal to about 1 1/2 Hershey's Kisses. People who ate that amount ended up with lower blood pressure readings than those who ate white chocolate.

[Last modified July 4, 2007, 01:08:39]