Land of Chocolate: Study Finds Eating Lots of Chocolate Keeps You Thin

Want an easy and delicious way to stay thin? Eat plenty of chocolate, one study says!

The March issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine has published the findings of a new study claiming that people who frequently ate chocolate had a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who didn't load up on the yummy, sinful treat.

Researchers examined more than 1,000 healthy men and women for the study who were free of heart disease, diabetes and cholesterol problems. They were all enrolled in another study that measured the effects of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but for this study researchers assigned them questionnaires that gauged how often participants chowed down on chocolate.

The researched discovered that the participants in the study that ate the most chocolate during an average week actually had healthier BMI's than ones who indulged on dark chocolate less often. Although chocolate is high in calories, it also contains beneficial antioxidants, which might explain the healthy connection.

So, the next time you have the desire to bite into a Hershey bar, remind yourself it's good for your health and diet!