CHOCOLATE

Chocolate’s main claim to health is its effect on your arteries. In 2012 a systematic review of the effects of cocoa consumption on blood pressure, which looked at 20 studies involving over 800 people, concluded: “Flavanol-rich chocolate and cocoa products may have a small but statistically significant effect in lowering blood pressure.” But it pointed out most of the studies took place over a short period of time – between two and eight weeks – and the size of the effect was not impressive. A more recent paper, published in the journal Heart in 2015, found those eating the most chocolate (up to 99g a day) had the lowest risk of developing heart disease or stroke. But there may have been confounding factors at play, such as the chocolate eaters being more active. – MM VERDICT:

The odd square of dark, cocoa-rich chocolate isn’t going to hurt, but the jury is out as to whether it will do you any good.