vital signs Chocolate: A Little Does a Lot Believe it or not, a 1.5-oz bar of dark chocolate, eaten over the course of a

week, is about the right amount to signifi-

cantly reduce the risk of heart disease—by

one-third for women and one-fourth for

men. Eating more than that amount of

chocolate would be overdoing it, according

to a study of 11,000 people published in the Journal of Nutrition. More precisely,

researchers found that 6.7 gm (0.23 oz)

of dark chocolate daily is the optimum

amount to reduce inflammation and

risk for major diseases. Milk

chocolate doesn’t do the trick

because milk inhibits the

action of beneficial anti-

oxidants found in cocoa.

FRESH HEALTHY DIABETES TAKE-CARE KITCHEN WEIGHT WATCH TOOL KIT Indulge your Cut calories See how she won Stress less with dark side. with soup. her lifelong battle. feel-good products. p. 11 p. 12 p. 14 p. 17