By Dr. Brian McDonough

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Over the years, we’ve heard a great deal about how dark chocolate can be good for your health and help protect against heart disease. Now, a new report from the British Medical Journal — which takes a look at people who are at higher risk for heart problems — finds people can benefit even more.

According to new information, dark chocolate can actually reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes in people who are at high risk.

Essentially, what’s being said in the report is that dark chocolate, with 60% coco solids, is rich in flavonoids and that’s known for heart protecting effects.

Previous studies of the heart benefits of chocolate have not followed patients for very long, but this particular study looked at people for over ten years, and the result was that in over 2,000 people already at risk for heart disease, the dark chocolate could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events.