巧克力在欧洲的美食大师的手下，有了更多的艺术元素。

　　Dark chocolate——but not white chocolate- may help reduce blood pressure and boost the body＇s ability to metabolize sugar from food， according to the results of a small study.

　　Investigators from the University of L＇Aquila in Italy found that after eating only 100 grams， or 3.5 ounces， of dark chocolate every day for 15 days， 15 healthy people had lower blood pressures and were more sensitive to insulin， an important factor in metabolizing sugar.

　　In contrast， eating roughly the same amount of white chocolate for the same period of time did not affect either blood pressure or insulin sensitivity.

　　This is not the first study to demonstrate potential health benefits of dark chocolate， which contains high levels of a kind of antioxidant called flavonoids. Research shows that flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy heart and good circulation and reduce blood clotting，which can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

　　However， despite dark chocolate＇s apparent benefits， professor Ferri urges caution when interpreting the results. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants， but also a lot of fat and calories， Ferri said， and people who want to add some chocolate to their diet need to subtract an equivalent amount of calories by cutting back on other foods， to avoid weight gain.

　　He added that each 100 grams of dark chocolate contains roughly 500 calories.

　　Another study showed that elderly people with high blood pressure experienced a drop in pressure after eating dark chocolate bars， but not white chocolate， which contains no flavonoids.