Latest on the chocolate-is-good-for-you story: a US study of 32,000 Swedish women between 48 and 83 over nine years found that those eating two 19 to 30 gram servings of dark chocolate once or twice a week cut the risk of developing heart failure by a third. But those who ate it every day didn't benefit. Nor did those who ate only one to three servings a month. So a little regularly is good, too much too often is bad, and too little too seldom, without effect, good or bad.

Too much too often is bad because of chocolate's high levels of fat and sugar.

But in reasonable amounts, the benefits of chocolate's flavanoids, which can lower blood pressure and protect against heart disease, kick in.

You may have read this before. Here. But this study is the first time that long-term effects related specifically to heart failure have been demonstrated. The study's leader, Dr Murray Mittleman, director of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, said, "You can't ignore that chocolate is a relatively calorie-dense food and large amounts of habitual consumption is going to raise your risks for weight gain. But if you're going to have a treat, dark chocolate is probably a good choice, as long as it's in moderation."

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