Eat chocolate, it's the doctors orders and swim for a longer life

In other leading health stories this week, overweight women are being prescribed chocolate to improve their health and how swimming could win you more time than walking or jogging.

Dark chocolate is rich in polyphenols, compounds thought to protect cells from damage

Overweight women are being prescribed dark chocolate to improve their health. The women are being given 20g of it a day - about half a small bar - for four weeks. Dark chocolate is rich in polyphenols - compounds which are thought to protect the cells against damage and disease.

Previous research has shown that chocolate can benefit heart health by promoting healthy blood pressure and blood circulation.

Researchers believe it could also help lower glucose and cholesterol levels. In a new trial, at Queen Margaret University in Scotland, the researchers will look its effects on conditions such as high cholesterol and diabetes.

Researchers are currently recuiting overweight and obese women aged 20 to 60 for the trial.

Swimmers crawl to a longer life

Swimming can help you live longer than walking or jogging, according to a new study. Men who take a regular dip in the pool are half as likely to die prematurely as those who rely on leg power to keep fit. The findings come from an American study of men aged between 20 and 90 who were studied for more than 30 years.

Death rates among swimmers in the age group were 53 per cent lower than those who did no exercise at all, 50 per cent lower than among walkers and 49 per cent lower than joggers. Although the study, published in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, looked only at mortality rates and not why swimming protects the body, previous research has shown it is one of the best ways of keeping the heart and lungs in peak condition. Previous studies have shown swimming can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, although chlorine has been linked with childhood asthma.