Believe it or not, chocolate is good for you!  

Researchers at Harvard University studied 8,000 men aged 65 and over and found that  those who ate modest amounts of chocolate lived almost a year longer than those who  didn’t eat any! And at the Cognition and Research Centre at Middlesex University,  scientists are investigating a whole range of health benefits linked to the food. The results  showed that smell receptors in the nasal passages react so strongly to the more than 300  chemicals in chocolate, it left people on an emotional high. 

A 100g bar of dark chocolate gives you 2.4mg of iron and 90mg of magnesium, around  one third of the recommended daily amounts. Conversely, white chocolate contains no  cocoa solids, just cocoa butter, and so is relatively high in fat. For example, a 100g white  Toblerone bar has a whopping 540 calories and 30.7g of fat. 

Despite its sugar content, dentists chocolate is said by to be less damaging to teeth than  many other sweets because it tends to be chewed quickly instead of being sucked. There  are naturally-occurring tannins in chocolate that help to inhibit the growth of dental plaque,  and there is known to be a substance in all chocolate called phenethylamine (PEA), which  is produced naturally by the brain and thought to increase levels of the mood-enhancing  chemicals, serotonin and endorphins. 

In theory, the more PEA you eat, the more amorous and aroused you feel, which is why  chocolate has a reputation as an aphrodisiac and researchers found sharing chocolate  with a loved one increased oxytocin levels.  

Chocolate also stimulates theobromine and phenethylamine, which stimulates the release  of B-endorphins which stokes the production of dopamine and norepinephrine. These  chemicals flood your system when you’re feeling loving. And Theobromine is chemically  similar to caffeine and like its chemical cousin. it stimulates the central nervous system and also has mood enhancing effects.