RHINELANDER - Now for some semi-sweet news, chocolate may help you slim down that's according to a new study by the University of California at San Diego.

It may come as no surprise to people like Brandy Gray who is surrounded by chocolate every day, "Chocolate is a huge deal for us. Obviously most of the chocolate here we make on our own here. We sell a ton of chocolate throughout the year."

Brandy is the Manager of the Fun Factory in Rhinelander and says she didn't need science to prove the health benefits of chocolate,

"I obviously think chocolate is always good for you. You know, it makes me happy. It doesn't really surprise me, I mean we've been hearing a big trend that dark chocolate, for some time now, has been good for you."

Dr. Ida Allen says, "It's the good fat that's in chocolate that actually keeps you satisfied. So it can help with weight maintenance. It can help with cholesterol, it can help with blood pressure, it can help with all kinds of diseases because it has such high antioxidant properties."

Dr. Allen says the studies are true, you can eat chocolate regularly and see health improvements, such as weight loss, but there's a catch, "If, it's in its natural form. So once again, if it's plugged with a whole bunch of chemicals and sugar, it's not natural."

So if you want to satisfy your sweet tooth and get your body in better shape, perhaps chocolate can bring you the best of both worlds.

Dr. Allen says the darker and purer the chocolate you can find, the better the overall health benefits for your body.

Story By: Michael Crusan