A recent study indicates that dark chocolate may help ease emotional stress. Most people who love chocolate are aware of this already and there is more than just emotional stress relief that comes from a bite or two of dark chocolate -- there is growing scientific evidence that antioxidants and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for heart disease and other physical conditions.

National Chocolate Day is October 28 and a perfect day to celebrate the many health benefits of chocolate. While chocolate is primarily eaten for pleasure, there are potential health benefits of eating chocolate.

A Michigan State University researcher is challenging health standards that consider nitrates and nitrites in food to be harmful.

The current discussion of expanding health care options through federal legislation deals primarily with big issues - like how to pay for the new coverage and how proposed reforms would change the current medical care system. One of the smaller questions not showing up on many radar screens is how health care reform would impact coordination of benefits issues.

Scientists from Scotland and Singapore have unraveled a mystery that has perplexed scientists since red wine was first discovered to have health benefits: how does resveratrol control inflammation? New research published in the August 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal not only explains resveratrol's one-two punch on inflammation, but also show how it—or a derivative—can be used to treat potentially deadly inflammatory disease, such as appendicitis, peritonitis, and systemic sepsis.

Trying to reap the health benefits of exercise? Forget treadmills and spin classes, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may have found a way around the sweat and pain. They identified two signaling pathways that are activated in response to exercise and converge to dramatically increase endurance.

In a new twist on the Confucian ideal of filial piety, a study finds that the assistance of daughters-in-law – but not their own children – helps mitigate depression among older people in China. This is particularly true in rural areas, where elders may rely more heavily on family to be support providers.

A recent look at what is known about the health effects of drinking water reveals that most supposed benefits are not backed by solid evidence. The findings indicate that most people do not need to worry about drinking their recommended 8 glasses of 8 ounces (“8x8”) of water per day.

The government has evoked harsh criticism with its plan to confine sickness benefit payments.

Consumer demand for dietary supplements containing large amounts of plant-based antioxidants has outpaced scientific knowledge on the actual health benefits, best dosages, and risks of those phytochemicals, according to an editorial in the December (current) issue of ACS’ Molecular Pharmaceutics, a bi-monthly journal.

Scientists report that adding long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids – typically found in fish oil – to baby formula may help infants better regulate their blood sugar and make more proteins in their muscle cells. These results may help make better decisions when dealing with pre-term birth, low-birth weight, and feeding of infants in intensive care.

British adults now believe that moderate activity is more beneficial than vigorous exercise, according to new research by the University of Exeter and Brunel University. Although most large studies show that the greatest health benefits are derived from regular participation in vigorous activities, such as jogging and competitive sports, 56% of men and 71% of women now believe moderate activities, like walking, are most beneficial.