Submitted by the Baylor College of Medicine….

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and the gift of chocolate is always a staple. Chocolate hearts and chocolate roses – are these harmful or healthy to your heart? Dr. Mahboob Alam, a cardiologist at Baylor College of Medicine, explains.

“Chocolate does have cardiovascular benefits, but there are caveats,” said Alam. “Dark chocolate with more than 70% cacao content is associated with cardiovascular benefits not seen with milk chocolate and certainly not with white chocolate.”

There are about 150 to 170 calories in one ounce of dark chocolate. Consuming a moderate amount (about 1 ounce of dark chocolate once or twice a week) is best. Milk chocolate has fewer cardiovascular benefits.

“A chemical ingredient in dark chocolate called flavanols is vasoactive, causing vasodilation, or the widening of blood vessels. When a person’s arteries dilate because of flavanols, their blood pressure goes down, which can reduce the risk of long-term high blood pressure-related events like heart attacks, strokes and renal disease,” Alam said.

Read more about how chocolate affects your heart and your skin here.