Dark chocolate has long been hailed as one of the health resources that are both delicious and good for you.

Now, a new study from the University of Copenhagen has suggested that eating dark chocolate could help people reduce their cravings for unhealthy foods – particularly when compared to the effects of consuming milk chocolate.

Researchers fed either dark or milk chocolate to two groups of young men who were of normal weight, then measured their hunger, satiety and cravings every 30 minutes for the following five hours.

The participants were also offered pizza partway through the experiment and their calorie consumption was assessed.

According to the scientists, the subjects who had consumed dark chocolate had a total caloric intake that was 15 percent lower than those who had eaten milk chocolate.

In addition, their survey responses indicated that the dark chocolate eaters reported fewer cravings for unhealthy foods.

Past studies have found that dark chocolate contains flavonoids – antioxidants that can help lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and promote heart health.