You would be forgiven for thinking that a cup of cocoa at bedtime is the last thing your health needs, but scientists have found that an ingredient in natural cocoa appears to lower the risk of killer diseases such as diabetes and heart failure.
A nutrient we have been routinely removing from cocoa could in fact be the answer to many of the western world's health problems, research has found.
Scientists found that epicatechin, which is found in natural cocoa, could lower the risk of four of the developed world's biggest killers - heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. The researchers from Harvard Medical School discovered that, among the Kuna people of Panama, who drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week, rates of these four conditions are less than 10%.
The results of the study, which appeared in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, suggested that the Kuna people appear to live longer than other inhabitants of Panama and do not seem to get dementia. However, the experts did stress that other lifestyle factors and genetics may also influence the health of the Kuna.
Dr Norman Hollenberg, who led the research, also pointed out that the study was observational, and therefore cannot provide definitive proof to back up his claims.
Decades of work
Dr Hollenberg has spent the last 15 years investigating the role of epicatechin in the elderly from may different cultures alongside his research into the Kuna people. He said: "My interest began with the fact that Kuna people do not develop high blood pressure. I was in search of protective genes but it turned out to be environmental because, when they migrated to the mainland with all the benefits of modern western urban life, their blood pressure rose with age and hypertension became quite common." Naturally, death caused by stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes also rose.
Dr Hollenberg pinpointed the frequent consumption of cocoa as the reason why death rates from these diseases are so low among the Kuna. "For most Kuna people, it is the only thing they drink from when they are weaned to the day they die."
Super-vitamin?
The findings of this research are significant enough, Dr Hollenberg believes, for epicatechin to be classed as a vitamin. The nutrient is a type of flavonoid, which are also found in wine, chocolate, fruit and vegetables and tea. These help the body's blood vessels to relax and therefore improve blood flow. It is thought that the antioxidants present in epicatechin could be responsible for its ability to prevent cancer.
Flavanols are removed from most cocoa we buy in shops and supermarkets because of their bitter taste. Dr Hollenberg believes that his research shows that there is the potential for manufacturers of confectionary, nutritional products and drugs to produce products which utilise epicatechin's health benefits.
A spokesperson for The British Heart Foundation, however, told the BBC that it did not advise people to take up drinking cocoa in high quantities in an attempt to protect their hearts.
By Ross Chainey,
I wonder if this research is 100% correct or this another deliberate spin to confuse. In this confusing world there are so many statements concerning health and the effects of food thereon. I'm pretty sure all the information and the disinformation are sent forth into the world to confuse our cognitive processing and therefore our programming of thoughts. Our world is a thought form world. Believe enough that something is harmful and it becomes harmful because you program that 'something' to have that effect. Equally, it is possible to believe something is harmless ... in the same way. Critics will jump down my throat with this and provide outrageous examples like battery acid or toxic substances and use them to destroy this 'metaphysical reality'. I would reply to such a critic by saying we are collectively and genetically programmed to 'accept' these items are harmful. This is done over our lifetime or genetic lifetimes. But say, when the 'substance' was first 'discovered' what if it was introduced into this thought form reality as 'harmless' and 'good for you'. What would it be presented as now?