I am not a chocolate eater. Gasp. I know, I’ve been the subject of much ridicule throughout my years on this earth for the sole fact that I don’t enjoy chocolate. Not only that, but chocolate gives me a headache.

I know my life is so hard. I’m the outcast of my family, seeing as my parents and siblings would eat chocolate for every meal for the rest of their lives, and be perfectly content doing so. Well here’s some good news for my family then, chocolate may in fact be good for you.

Researchers from the United Kingdom have found that chocolate may act as a natural cough suppressant. The study took 300 patients with chronic coughs at the Hull Cough Clinic and discovered that 60 percent of the patients stopped couching when they were given theobromine, a substance hat is naturally found in cocoa.

This study is backed up by the London National Heart and Lung Institute, which showed that theobromine is more effective than codeine when it comes to curing a cough. The patients undergoing the study were given 1,000 mg of theobromine each, which is approximately equal to two ounces of unsweetened dark chocolate, 16 ounces of milk chocolate.

The study is still undergoing tests, but in the mean time, don’t hesitate to continue eating your holiday chocolate this winter.

Ally | Elite.