Some clinical trials sound a bit iffy in our book. We definitely wouldn't be jumping to sign up for studies on sleep deprivation, the side effects of sword-swallowing, or the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment. But one new health research project based at Norwich, England's University of East Anglia should have no problem finding volunteers: All study participants will receive a full year's worth of free Belgian chocolate.

The study is intended to settle the long-running debate on whether the flavonoids in chocolate really can improve women's health, as several trials have claimed.

In the study, a group of female volunteers will be divided into two groups. Members of one group will be given a special chocolate bar high in flavonoids, while participants in the other group will be given normal chocolate bars as placebos. The women will be given medical exams six times over the course of the study to measure the amount of plaque in their carotid artery, which correlates to their risk of heart disease.

"We hope to show that adding flavonoids to their diets will provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of heart disease in the future," researcher Aeidin Cassidy told The Times.

So where do we sign up? It's not quite that simple – the study is open only to post-menopausal women with type-2 diabetes who are currently taking statins to lower their cholesterol levels, and we've got a feeling the 150 open slots were filled the second researchers leaked their plans.

Don't worry, though – if the results do prove that chocolate can help prevent heart disease, your doctor might just start prescribing you a daily dose.