Professor Mike Cross

 There’s little doubt that chocolate is a delicious treat and typically seen as a guilty pleasure but did you know that chocolate can also be healthy?

According to Professor of Chemistry Mike Cross at the Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill, MA chocolate might just be the “perfect drug.”

With high quality versions of chocolate carrying over 500+ natural chemicals and more antioxidants then a bowl of blueberries … chocolate can increase feelings of well-being, reduce high blood pressure, relax blood vessels and more, says Cross.

In a presentation called “Chocolate, The Perfect Indulgence,” Professor Cross will share his knowledge as both a chemist and a passionate lover of chocolate with audiences throughout the area this Valentine’s Day season.

Presentations which are open to the public will be held on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Manchester by the Sea Public Library, 15 Union St., Manchester, MA; on Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA; and on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at Hampstead Public Library, 9 Mary E. Clark Dr., Hampstead, NH. The library presentations are free and the Tower Hill Botanic Garden presentation is free with the price of admission. Cross holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Utah where he specialized in oxidative lesions in DNA and RNA. His presentation is part of NECC’s Speakers’ Bureau. For more information on the college’s Speakers’ Bureau visit, www.necc.mass.edu/speakers-bureau, call 978 556-3862 or email speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu.