Chocolate Sales Are Bittersweet

Scientists say, "sort of"

(NEWSER) - Can you finally replace your energy bar with a candy bar? Scientists have discovered a connection between chocolate and building muscle, reports the New York Times . Researchers at the University of California in San Diego have found that giving mice a purified form of epicatechin—the main nutritional ingredient of cacao—increased mitochondria in leg muscles. More»

Call it a 'super-fruit,' researchers say

(NEWSER) - Chocolate lovers, rejoice: Your beloved treat may actually be healthier than fruit juice. A comparison of cocoa products to fruit juice powders suggests dark chocolate has more antioxidant power than juices, as well as more of certain chemicals that are good for your heart, the New York Daily News reports. But take note: The study was conducted by Hershey. More»

Exciting news for chocoholics: It's good for your heart, brain, and more

(NEWSER) - Need an excuse to eat chocolate? The Daily Mail offers up not one excuse, but five, culled from recent research. But for these good things to apply, you'll need to get your fix from high-quality dark chocolate with a 70% or higher cocoa content:

• It’s good for your heart: It has flavanols, a form of antioxidant that can help prevent heart disease and reverse damage to the arteries caused by smoking.
• It’s good for your brain: Another antioxidant present in dark chocolate may protect against Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.

Many see right through US bars, actually made by Hershey

(NEWSER) - Serious chocolate fans responded warily to the news of Kraft's bid for Cadbury—especially in the US, where aficionados reject the domestic brand anyway. It’s made by Hershey, not the British firm itself, and that just won’t cut it for hardcore devotees of the British brand, the Wall Street Journal reports. "If you were to hold a gun to my head, and say, 'Eat this Hershey bar!' I'd say: 'Shoot me,'" vows one fan. More»

(NEWSER) - A combination of penny-pinching and environmental concern has pushed bottled water sales off for the first time in at least 5 years, the Washington Post reports. In 2008, consumption of bottled water fell for the first time this decade. “It's an obvious way to cut back,” a researcher says. “People might still be buying bottled water, but you can bet that they're refilling those bottles.” More»