A study published in the European Heart Journal seems to indicate that chocolate is good for you – at least that’s what the headlines say. This seems to be a fortuitously timed announcement for the chocolate industry at Easter and is without doubt a textbook piece of PR.

In a multi-media world where information flows fast and freely it is worth remembering that the headline often IS the story – not everyone will read the whole piece and very few will cross reference it in any way. On this occasion I thought a bit of further investigation was called for.

The facts it seems are something like this: Providing that you are not overweight and that the rest of your diet is healthy you may be less likely to suffer from a stroke or heart attack if you eat half a bar of chocolate a week.

I can’t help thinking that making one bar of chocolate last a fortnight would be detrimental to both my mental health and my stress levels but maybe that’s just me!