Not chocolate, exactly, but new research suggests that cocoa, the plant that gives rise to the popular desert, is an unusually rich source of flavenols - chemical compounds that have been shown to positively influence blood flow and blood vessel health.

The idea that cocoa may be good for blood flow and blood vessel health has it's roots in the research of Harvard Medical School faculty Norman Hollenberg who studied the Cuna tribe in Panama. The diet of the Cuna includes a liquid intake almost exclusively made up of a drink made from the cocoa plant.

While Hollenberg is quick to point out that the fat and calorie consequences of consuming large amounts of chocolate quickly outweigh any benefit their flavenols might provide, he also notes with some whimsy that powered cocoa drinks, such as the hot chocolate mixes available in many supermarkets, have had much of their fat removed. "I see a bright future for cocoa," Hollenberg is quoted as saying.