How sweet it is Dark chocolate contains four times more catechins, antioxidants believed to help boost the immune system and prevent heart disease, than black tea. But that's just one of the benefits researchers have discovered about chocolate in recent years. The researchers didn't ask what kind of candy the men ate, but they speculated that many chose chocolate. If that's true, the explanation for the results of the study may be that a 1.5 ounce piece of chocolate contains the same amount of the heart-protecting antioxidant phenol as a glass of red wine. In the Harvard study, eating candy more often was not as beneficial.
Chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine and larger amounts of theobromine, a similar substance.
Both are xanthines that, quickly absorbed by the body, mildly stimulate the central nervous system, speed up your heart a bit and increase alertness. Yet there's not enough stimulant to cost you sleep. Concerns about tooth decay may be reduced because chocolate seems to contain an antibacterial agent that inhibits plaque formation. Even the fat in chocolate isn't as bad as it could be. More than half the saturated fat is stearic acid, which doesn't raise cholesterol.