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A recently published study presented at the annual Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Atlanta City, Georgia links chocolate to positive fetal growth and healthy development which many would-be moms surely welcome as experts advise a long list of do's and don'ts to pregnant women.

A small treat of 30 grams of chocolate daily has been found to avert the risk of developing preeclampsia- a fatal condition affecting pregnant women wherein normal blood pressure drastically changes into life-threatening high blood pressure.

While chocolates are considered safe to eat, expectant mothers, nevertheless, are cautioned against binge eating of the sweet treat because of its high sugar, caffeine, and fat ingredients according to Medical News Today.

The findings also reveal that chocolates contain flavanols- a nutrient compound found in some plant-based foodstuff associated with a number of positive benefits to health.

"Our observations suggest that a regular small consumption of dark chocolate -- whether or not the level of flavanol is high -- from the first trimester of pregnancy, could lead to an improvement of placental function," remarked study lead author Dr. Emmanuel Bujold of Universite Laval in Canada as quoted in a report by WebMD.

According to a Medical Daily report, the study involved a careful study of 129 moms-to-be who are in their 11th to 14th week of gestation. They were given 30 grams of chocolate every day for three months with varying amounts of flavanol. The researchers also evaluated their patients' birth weight, gestational hypertension, placental weight, and preeclampsia.

No significant difference is detected in the patients' birth weight, gestational hypertension, placental weight, and preeclampsia after three months of regulated eating of chocolates. However, researchers noticed an unexpected positive results of the pregnant women's uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index- a medical tool used to evaluate placental and fetal circulations.

Previous studies have also linked chocolate consumption to a slew of other health benefits. A study undertaken in Norfolk, England revealed that indulging in 100 grams of chocolate daily could lower the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases as earlier reported by Eureka.