Study: Chocolate The New "Super Food"

HERSHEY, Pa. (CBS4) -- If you're planning to give your sweetheart chocolate for Valentine's Day, make sure it's dark chocolate because not only is it delicious, it's good for your heart too.

A new study suggests that dark chocolate and cocoa powder may be the next "super foods" thanks to their high antioxidant content.

A new study found the antioxidant activity of dark chocolate and cocoa powder was equivalent to or higher than that found in some other so-called "super fruit" powders or juices, including acai berry, blueberry, and cranberry.

Antioxidants, which include flavanols, are known to fight the damaging effects of oxidative stress on cells within the body and are believed to cut down on the risk of heart disease.

While dark chocolates containing 60-pecent cocoa and cocoa drinks were found to have more antioxidant activity and flavanols, the same could not be found for hot chocolate or milk chocolate.

The research for this study was conducted by scientists at the Hershey Centre for Health & Nutrition, in Pennsylvania and appears in the Chemistry Central Journal.