From Bloomberg:Cocoa may help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, a 10-year study by candy producer Mars Inc. and Harvard University showed.
The study, to be released in Washington today, is the first to connect cocoa to the prevention of cancer in humans, Harold Schmitz, chief science officer of Mars and co-author of the study, said in an interview yesterday. Mars six months ago began selling ``heart-healthy'' CocoaVia chocolate bars in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other retailers.
Flavanols contained in cocoa, as well as apples, almonds and grapes, may provide the protection, Schmitz said. ``It looks like there is a tremendous benefit to consuming flavanol-rich cocoa, a greater benefit than any of us could have anticipated.''
The study looked at death certificates of about 1,250 Kuna Indians in Panama and in the San Blas islands off the coast of Panama. The Kunas in the San Blas Islands drank four or five cups of a cocoa-water drink a day, while the Kunas in Panama did not.
``The relative risk of death from heart disease on the Panama mainland was 1,280 percent higher than on the islands, and death from cancer was 630 percent higher,'' Norman Hollenberg, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement.
I wonder if I can get financing for a follow up study. I'd even be willing to participate myself...for science, of course.
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