A giant study found that eating chocolate can reduce the risk of premature death by up to 10 percent.
They concluded that women who munched nearly 1 ounce (28g) a day had the lowest risk of dying prematurely from any cause.
The findings support previous research suggesting that the antioxidants found in cocoa beans can help repair damaged cells in the body.
Cocoa is also known to lower blood pressure and stop fat accumulation in arteries.
The researchers arrived at this finding by studying the health records of 84,709 postmenopausal women in the United States over 19 years.
They found that people who ate chocolate were less likely to die of heart disease and some cancers than those who didn’t eat it at all.
Dr. Yambo Sun of the University of Tennessee said the long-term health effects “still remain unknown” as the sugar and fat in chocolate are associated with weight gain.
she said: “However, chocolate also contains potentially beneficial ingredients such as antioxidants and flavonoid compounds.
“Our findings suggest that chocolate consumption is associated with a slightly reduced risk of death.”
