Listen to the way people malign chocolate: Sinful! Decadent! To die for! There’s even that popular restaurant dessert known as ‘Death by Chocolate.’ But is this any way to talk about a loved one — especially during the season of comfort and joy? Bite your tongue! Evidence is mounting that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you. Here’s the latest about the healthy side of your chocolate habit and taste-tested advice on what to try. Merry munching. A happier heart Scientists at the Harvard University School of Public Health recently examined 136 studies on coco — the foundation for chocolate — and found it does seem to boost heart health, according to an article in the European journal Nutrition and Metabolism. ‘Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow, less platelet stickiness and clotting, and improved bad cholesterol,’ says Mary B. Engler, Ph.D., a chocolate researcher and director of the Cardiovascular and Genomics Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. These benefits are the result of cocoa’s antioxidant chemicals known as flavonoids, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation. Better blood pressure If yours […]