A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition has found that eating two CocoaVia Dark Chocolate bars per day has a positive effect on cholesterol. University of Illinois researchers found that the bars lowered both total and bad cholesterol, and they also reduced study participants' systolic blood pressure. Investigators say plant sterols added to the bar are the likely cause of the drop in cholesterol, and the blood pressure reduction was probably due to the flavanols naturally found in dark chocolate. The study was funded by candy maker Mars, which makes the bars.