Is it the dark in dark chocolate?

When we first entered this scientific area about 10 years ago, we did not fully appreciate the emotional content of discussions involving chocolate. Contacts between medical scientists and the lay press tend to be sporadic. When chocolate is the issue, however, the lay press interest becomes intense and widespread. We have participated in many dozens, probably hundreds, of interviews about our research into the vascular effects of cocoa. Two questions inevitably emerge. The first is, “Is there some way of identifying which chocolate available for purchase is especially good for you?” The second is, “Does this mean that chocolate is a health food?” Reporters have been, almost without exception, rather disappointed by our response to each question.