FEELING GUILTY ABOUT how much chocolate you eat? Worrying that it may not be the best option to keep you slim?

Don’t worry! Scientists have found that people who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner. Hurray!

A new study looked at just under one thousand people in America and found that those who ate chocolate several times a week were on average slimmer than those who ate it occasionally.

The study, predictably, is not all pro-chocolate: it notes the high calorie count of the sweet stuff as well as the fat and sugar content.

But the research in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal  found that despite potential badness of chocolate, it favours weight loss rather than fat synthesis when it is eaten regularly.

The researchers found that regular chocolate consumption was related to lower BMI among participants in the study, even when other factors such as exercise were taken into account.

“Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight,” said lead author of the report Dr Beatrice Golomb.

Good news – especially with Easter just around the corner…

See the full by the researchers >

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Open thread: what Irish food or drink do you most miss when abroad? >