Can Chocolate Help You Lose Weight? Well…

There's a new study that says those who eat chocolate the most weigh less than those who avoid the sweet treat. But, as usual, there are a few qualifiers on the results.First of all, the study is a population study, meaning that the results are only based on statistics. Secondly, no research has yet been done on why chocolate eaters weigh less than non-consumers.

For what it's worth, researchers affiliated with the University of California, San Diego found out that people who ate the most chocolate had a lower body mass index [a measure of height and weight] than those who didn't eat any chocolate. Strangely enough, those who ate the most chocolate also took in more calories than those who abstained. Chocolate consumers also weren't more likely to exercise or eat fruits and vegetables than those who avoided chocolate. The survey was based on more than 1,000 participants.

Chocolate has a few things in its favor. It raises "good" cholesterol levels. Dark chocolate is known to help the heart [although most studies in that area recommend eating only 4 grams of chocolate a day [about one-tenth of a normal size dark chociolate bar].

What to do? Well, attacking your kids' Easter basket is probably not a good idea [we know the kids won't like it]. But a little dark chocolate, in moderation, probably won't do you any harm, and might even help.

[boston.com]