The health benefits of eating dark chocolate have been extolled for centuries, but the exact reason has remained a mystery –– until now. Researchers reported recently that certain bacteria in the stomach gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart.

Their findings were unveiled at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society. The meeting, attended by thousands of scientists, features more than 10,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics.
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Say "I love you" with flowers, a greeting card, or (best of all) chocolate and red wine, but be careful when you kiss this Valentine’s Day.

Infectious disease expert Jorge Parada says, “Mid-February is usually the peak season for infectious diseases, such as the seasonal and H1N1 flu, mononucleosis, colds and coughs."

Changing weather or temperatures are often blamed for winter’s coughs and sniffles. But in reality, colds, coughs and the flu are infectious diseases "caught" through transmission from one human to another.
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It’s a big relief when this happens, and latest two "exonerated" foods are chocolate and pizza.

Chocolate has been part of the human diet for at least 4,000 years. It was introduced to OUR world by Christopher Columbus, after his fourth voyage to the New World in 1502. Researchers estimate that the typical American consumes over 10 pounds of chocolate every year, with those living on the West Coast eating the most. Wouldn’t it be great if only chocolate were considered healthy? Well it IS!
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New research reveals that the assumption that eating chocolate makes people fat is wrong–it turns out that adults who eat chocolate on a regular basis are actually thinner than those who don’t.

How can this be? Modest, regular chocolate consumption might be calorie-neutral, meaning that the metabolic benefits of eating modest amounts might lead to reduced fat deposition per calorie and approximately offset the added calories (but remember, the key word here is "modest").

Science Daily quotes researcher Beatrice Golomb as saying, "In the case of chocolate, this is good news–both for those who have a regular chocolate habit, and those who may wish to start one."
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