The benefits of vitamin pills and chocolate

Ask the doctor

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Q. Do vitamin pills reduce a person's risk of heart disease and cancer, or not? I hear different things. And recently, I hear people saying chocolate is heart-healthy. Is that too good to be true?

A. I'm a committed chocoholic. Once I was in an ice cream store and saw a flavor called "Triple Chocolate Death," and I said to myself: "What a way to go!" Recently, a colleague told me about a flavor called "Chocolate Therapy," which shows how attitudes are changing.