OH IF THAT WERE ONLY TRUE---NO DOCTORS... [shaking head, just dreaming...wistfully....Blondielou] A chocolate a day might keep the doctor away 1:06 p.m. ET (1707 GMT) August 6, 1999 NEW YORK, Aug 06 (Reuters Health) Chocolate particularly dark chocolate contains high levels of antioxidants, suggesting that the much-maligned sweet might actually be good for you. In a new study, chocolate was found to have four times the level of catechins, a type of antioxidant, compared with black tea. Some studies have suggested that tea-drinkers have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and possibly cancer though the link is not conclusive. However, if the protective health effect is due to the catechins in tea, the health benefit may extend to chocolate as well, according to Dr. Ilja C.W. Arts, of the National Institute of Public Health and Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands, and colleagues. In the study, the Dutch researchers analyzed the amount of six different catechins and found that dark chocolate contained the highest level, at 53.5 milligrams of catechins per 100 grams. Milk chocolate contained 15.9 milligrams per 100 grams, and black tea contained 13.9 milligrams per 100 milliliters, according to a report in the August 7th issue of The Lancet. "Since it is probably more enjoyable to drink 1 liter of tea than to eat 1 kilogram of chocolate, we aimed to find out the importance of chocolate as a source of catechins in the habitual diet,'' the authors write. They found that tea was the most important source of the antioxidants, making up 55% of total intake of the antioxidants by Dutch citizens. However, chocolate was an important source too, making up 20% of the total intake in this population. The findings have important implications for studies of the health effects of tea, the investigators note, which should take into account other sources of catechins, such as chocolate. "In the end,'' the researchers conclude, "the old Dutch habit of drinking a cup of tea and eating a chocolate cookie might be not only enjoyable but healthy as well.'' SOURCE: The Lancet 1999;354:488. comments@... © 1999, News America Digital Publishing, Inc. d/b/a Fox News Online. All rights reserved. Fox News is a registered trademark of 20th Century Fox Film Corp. © Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved