Is chocolate heart-healthy?

Ask the doctor

Q. I keep hearing that chocolate is good for heart health. Is it too good to be true?

A. It is not too good to be true — but it also is complicated. We have previously discussed studies indicating that foods derived from the cocoa bean — in particular, dark chocolate, which has a higher cocoa content than milk chocolate — are heart-healthy. Specifically, people who eat more chocolate have lower rates of heart attacks, heart failure, and even death from heart disease.

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