Celebrate Heart Health Month this February with Dark Chocolate

Bob Greene Awards Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate With Best Life Treat Seal of Approval –Studies Reveal Dark Chocolate Contributes to Heart Health

For more info, videos, and recipes, visit www.bestlifehersheysdarkchocolate.com.

HERSHEY, Pa. – February 16, 2010 – Heart-shaped boxes will fill store shelves this February, but if you are looking for a healthier alternative, only Hershey®’s Extra Dark Chocolate has been awarded the Best Life Treat Seal of Approval from world-renowned health and fitness expert Bob Greene. Recent studies have supported dark chocolate’s heart-health benefits, including increased blood flow and lower blood pressure.

A leading university recently linked dark chocolate to cardiovascular health following a study with Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that consuming Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate (75g) as well as Hershey’s Natural Cocoa (22g) resulted in lower blood pressure and improved endothelial function, which works to maintain blood flow, two hours after consumption by the 45 study participants. Additional studies have continued to herald the heart benefits of dark chocolate, including a study published in the September 2009 Journal of Internal Medicine, which found evidence that people who eat chocolate have increased survival rates after a heart attack.

Greene makes selecting healthier foods easy with his Best Life Seal of Approval, which appears on staple items such as whole grain wraps and pasta, healthy spreads and a host of other foods that meet nutrition guidelines. His Best Life Treat Seal of Approval is awarded to treats that feature a portion size of 150 calories or less, are free of partially hydrogenated oil, meet sodium and other nutrition guidelines and/or have another plus, such as the antioxidants in dark chocolate. Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate is the only chocolate to have been awarded this honor. It features 60 percent cacao and delivers just the right balance of taste, aroma and sweetness for both snacking and cooking.

In addition to recommending the chocolate as a better indulgence, Greene has incorporated Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate into a number of “The Best Life Diet” recipes. Consumers can visit www.hersheys.com/thebestlife to learn how to incorporate it into their daily Best Life Diet with recipes like Chocolate Ginger Spice Muffins, Baked Pear with Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate-Banana Sherbet and more. For more information on Hershey products and the Best Life Diet visit the Web sites www.hersheys.com/thebestlife and www.thebestlife.com.

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