Every single time I surf the health sections of online newspapers these days, I seem to run into at least one article trying to inform me of how beneficial to one’s health something like chocolate can be when eaten in moderation. The articles back up their arguments with studies and quotations from authorities that I am sure are reliable. I trust them, and I certainly do not mean to deprecate their value and factual accuracy. However, I believe excessive publication of these types of articles is liable to produce more harm than good.

When eaten in moderate amounts, chocolate may benefit one’s health, regulating insulin and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. But it is eating the “moderate amount” that poses the major difficulty for people, ranging from those suffering from eating disorders to those living with habitually unhealthy diets, and even to some of the general population simply trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle who happen to like chocolate. The “moderate amount” for chocolate is in fact a very small amount, more or less a couple of those bite-sized squares.

Also, it is specifically dark chocolate that contains a high percentage of natural cacao (higher than 60 percent is often recommended, but the higher the better) that brings these benefits—not milk chocolate, white chocolate, caramel-filled chocolate, or other typically found kinds branded Hershey’s or Ghirardelli. These tend to contain less than 20 percent cacao, often less than 15 percent, and instead are smothered with extra sugar, hydrogenated oil and chemicals additives that health-directed bodies would never welcome.

True, most of the articles in question do remember to mention these two crucial conditions. But are we really to believe people will resist their temptation after a few squares of rather bitter dark chocolate?

Far fewer people carefully peruse articles from top to bottom than read only the titles, which often omit the essential “dark” classification. A much greater number pick up bits of information through unreliable, oversimplified rumors. Who wouldn’t want to hear that chocolate is healthy? Even if one is fully aware of all necessary information, it is easy to relapse into poor dietary habits. It is only a matter of time before two squares of dark chocolate become five or six, and then a full bar of Hershey’s milk chocolate. Kiss the insulin regulation goodbye.

It is not good enough to blame individuals for falling under the lure of sweets. Rather, it is critical that we acknowledge that people do fall to the temptation of sweets and address the problem with appropriate measures. I am wary that significantly more people are vulnerable to making unhealthy choices due to misleading information, while much smaller numbers succeed in utilizing the information for a healthier and more enjoyable diet. Even alcohol is known to have a salutary effect on the body when taken in small doses, but it would be silly to advertise it daily in newspapers and sillier still to trust everyone to drink in “moderate amounts,” even if some people are able to do that.

Ideally, if significantly more people had better control over their eating habits, I would support the advertisement of the health benefits of chocolate. I, however, simply do not think we are ready. I believe chocolate is still chocolate, a calorie bomb that will do more damage than good, despite the bad cholesterol it might erode away. And having these articles furnish health sections of most widely read newspapers at the high frequency I’ve come to observe undermines our campaign against obesity and health problems.