Is There Anything Healthy In That Halloween Haul?

So your kids went out to trick or treat and came back with ten pounds of chocolate.  What’s the upside, besides you sneaking your “fair” share?  Well, there’s this.  A new analysis of chocolate research says that the cocoa in chocolate may actually be good for you.

WebMD.com says there's a component in cocoa that seems to help control blood sugar and inflammation… but there's a caveat; the researchers aren't sure what impact the calories and sugar in chocolate have in your day-to-day health.

With funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Mars candy company as well as the American Heart Association and drug maker Pfizer, the researchers found that those who ate the cocoa flavanol foods had lower levels of triglycerides, potentially boosting cardiovascular health. Also, tests suggested their bodies were doing a better job of controlling inflammation and blood sugar.

And the analysis showed "good" cholesterol levels also rose slightly in those who ate the cocoa flavanol foods,. These differences were "small-to-modest" but still significant from a statistical perspective. The studies also suggest that the effects are the same regardless of whether people are overweight or have certain other health problems.