Give Dark Chocolate on Valentine’s Day for Health?

People love to give chocolate on Valentine’s Day. But can it be healthy for you too?  In the recent years cocoa and dark chocolate, have been studied for their potential health benefits.  It is believed that cocoa and dark chocolate could reduce the risk for heart disease.  This is largely due to the special antioxidants found in cocoa and dark chocolate, called flavanols.  Research has shown that flavanols can help lower blood pressure, decrease the stickiness of platelets (potentially decreasing clotting ability) and improve blood flow to the brain and heart.

Do these positive findings mean that a supersized chocolate bar is good for you?  No.

(more…)