Chocolate Lovers, Rejoice! Eating Two Bars A Day Can Be Good For You

BRB, calling my parents to let them know everything they ever told me was a complete lie.

According to a study published in Heart journal, eating two chocolate bars a day is linked to lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

Rejoice.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen found people who eat chocolate were 11 percent less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, 9 percent less likely to have hospital visits or death because of coronary heart disease and up to 25 percent less likely to fall victim to associated death than people who don't eat chocolate at all.

They also found chocoholics were typically 23 percent less likely to have strokes.

On top of all that, researchers announced there is no evidence cutting out chocolate altogether can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Research was done on 21,000 men and women as part of a bigger study done by EPIC-Norfolk on the long-term health impact one's diet can have.

It was also concluded the sweet spot for chocolate consumption is right around 100g of chocolate a day -- the equivalent of about 22.2 Hershey's Kisses.

Before you get too excited and head to Costco to buy a bulk amount of M&Ms, there are some other facts you should consider.

First off, those in the study who were more likely to eat chocolate were younger and already lighter, thus they were less likely to have pre-existing diabetes and more likely to engage in regular physical activity.

Researchers have also only linked high chocolate intake to better health and have not named chocolate a direct conduit to lowering health risks.

Dr. Tim Chico, a consultant cardiologist and "rainer on all parades" at University of Sheffield said,

I would not advise my patients to increase their chocolate intake based on this research, particularly if they are overweight.

Basically, chocolate isn't bad for you, and it may even be good for you, but don't put all your Cadbury eggs into one chocolate basket.

Bummer... We're still totally going to eat chocolate, though.

Citations: Chocolate is Linked to Lower Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke (Metro UK)