Rebecca Smithers | November 15

The Guardian - Dark chocolate may be just what the doctor ordered, according to a new study out today, which reveals that eating a few squares every day can improve the health of your heart.

The chemical in cocoa beans has a similar biochemical effect to aspirin and can reduce the likelihood of blood clotting, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US have found.

They have published the results of what is believed to be the first biochemical analysis to explain why eating a small amount every day can almost halve the risk of heart attack death in some men and women by decreasing the tendency of platelets to clot in narrow blood vessels.

The scientists made the discovery when 139 people were disqualified from a larger study looking at the effects of aspirin on blood platelets. These "offenders" had been told to to refrain from indulging in a number of foods known to affect platelet activity, including chocolate. But they could not break their habit.