Chocolate shared as a symbol of love, at Christmas and Easter, for comfort, for forgiveness. Milk chocolate does not have the same effect – it usually contains no cacao at all, just a mix of pasteurised milk and sugar.

Dr Tara McMorrow, vice-president of the Irish Society of Toxicology and senior lecturer in bio-medical science in UCD, is a fellow chocoholic. She says that while there is still much we don’t know about chocolate, recent research is helping us better understand how it affects our health.

“The good news is that most of the bad effects of eating chocolate are either overstated or entirely false. Eating chocolate neither causes nor aggravates acne. Studies from the US have shown that eating chocolate [or not eating it] did not produce any significant changes in the acne conditions of the study’s participants.”

The strength of our reactions to chocolate can oscillate from joy to relief; some even say it is better than sex. McMorrow says that even the thought of chocolate can evoke a pleasurable response for some people.

Happy Easter, chocolate lovers.