"Yale University included 2,291 women pregnant with a single baby. The study sited theobromine, a chemical found in dark chocolate, as an aid to reduce the chance of developing preeclampsia by as much as 69%. Preeclampsia is a condition in which the mother has high blood pressure and protein in her urine. Theobromine is helpful for such a condition since it stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscles and dilates blood vessels, and has been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries.

This particular study suggests multiple servings of dark chocolate a week. Women who ate five or more servings of chocolate each week in their third trimester of pregnancy were 40 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia than those who ate chocolate less than once a week."