Heartbeat: Candy That Relieves Stress?

Eating dark chocolate can do more than lift your spirits and make you smile.  It also seems to be a great stress reliever.

For a study, scientists collected volunteers who rated themselves as highly stressed. They were told to eat about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate each day for two weeks.   At the end of that period the researchers say study subjects reported reduced stress levels.

Blood tests found reduced levels of stress hormones in their bodies and the treat also partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.

"The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption (of dark chocolate) during a period of two weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of healthy human volunteers," researchers reported.

Previous studies involving dark chocolate have suggested the antioxidants found in the snack may reduce the risk of heart disease, helps reduce blood pressure and cuts LDL cholesterol levels up to 10 percent.