Dude thats the best news I have heard !!! Chocolate being healthy nice !!! Your the man The Tortilla Guy

yes steve, this news is also good for me......because i like chocolate very much! cheers

The darker the chcolate the better i.e. higher percentage of cocoa.  Scharffenberger and Dagoba which crafts chocolate using organic ingredients and sustainable methods.  Forget the cheap waxy stuff and go for the best and get the most health benefits

Cocoa May Fight Hypertension Posted on: 07/04/2007 from Food Product Design More good news for chocolate lovers—consuming approximately 30 calories a day of dark chocolate may help reduce above-optimal blood pressure (BP) without affecting body weight, according to a new study in JAMA (2007;298(1):49-60). Researchers from University Hospital of Cologne, Germany, enrolled 44 adults aged 56 to 73 with untreated upper-range prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension without concomitant risk factors in the randomized, controlled, parallel group trial. For 18 weeks, participants received either 6.3 g/d of dark chocolate with 30 mg of polyphenols or matching polyphenol-free white chocolate. The primary outcome measure was change in BP, with secondary outcomes of changes in plasma markers of vasodilative nitric oxide (NO) and oxidative stress, plus bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols. From baseline to 18 weeks, dark chocolate intake reduced mean systolic BP by -2.9 (1.6) mm Hg, and diastolic BP by -1.9 (1.0) mm Hg, without changes in body weight, plasma levels of lipids, glucose or oxidative stress. Hypertension prevalence declined from 86% to 68%. The decrease in blood pressure was accompanied by an increase in markers of NO and the appearance of cocoa phenols in plasma. White chocolate intake had no effect on BP, NO or oxidative stress markers. “Although the magnitude of the BP reduction was small, the effects are clinically noteworthy. On a population basis, it has been estimated that a 3-mm Hg reduction in systolic BP would reduce the relative risk of stroke mortality by 8%, of coronary artery disease mortality by 5%, and of all-cause mortality by 4%,” the authors wrote. “The most intriguing finding of this study is that small amounts of commercial cocoa confectionary convey a similar BP-lowering potential compared with comprehensive dietary modifications that have proven efficacy to reduce cardiovascular event rate. Whereas long-term adherence to complex behavioral changes is often low and requires continuous counseling, adoption of small amounts of flavanol-rich cocoa into the habitual diet is a dietary modification that is easy to adhere to and therefore may be a promising behavioral approach to lower blood pressure in individuals with above-optimal blood pressure.”

Just Love the new look of blogs. It is nice to see pics in intro paragraph. Fabulos Mr Dutta you are getting better every day. Love the chocolate pics in your blog.

thanks shanti & hyde, shanti ,you are doing a great job ............sharing this type information helping in make a blasting type blogs. and hyde betterment is essential thing for development.so.....

Is that true ? I am gonna get lot of chocolates now :P

Good to know. I love chocolate! :) -Jojo

Yeah, raw chocolate is full of nutrients, but in United States most chocolate, like Hershey's and M&Ms is made on hydrogenated fats (trans fats) which are awful for heart disease. NYC Health Dept banned trans fats from restaurants, that's how bad they are. I make my own chocolaty concoctions or eat organic dark chocolate only.

Yes! If you're going to eat chocolate, eat only the best, otherwise.. you're just wasting calories on useless "nutrients." Transfats are terrible for you! Research is finding all sorts of harmful things they are doing to the body.. -Jojo

And don't leave chocolate laying around if you have a dog. Chocolate can kill a dog. The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. This is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine, and theophylline. Toxic Levels The good news is that it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine 100-150 mg/kg to cause a toxic reaction. Although there are variables to consider like the individual sensitivity, animal size and chocolate concentration. On average, Milk chocolate contains 44 mg of theobromine per oz. Semisweet chocolate contains 150mg/oz. Baker's chocolate 390mg/oz. Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out roughly as: 1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate 1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate 1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate. So, for example, 2 oz. of Baker's chocolate can cause great risk to an 15 lb. dog. Yet, 2 oz. of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems. Now if your 12# dog eats a couple of ounces of say Scharffenberger dark chocolate it might kill him, but be great for you to consume. Moral: Don't let your canine pal get your chocolate.

i love this blog its awesome!! thanks for all the great info. i also came across a website that has great chocolate products, for the true chocolate lover. i invite to take a look, www.myspace.com/mrchocolateshop

Man tats cool!No wonder the futures looks choclaty very much! :P