Cocoa Consumers Have Lower Disease Risk

[Celebration]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-02-27T212610Z_01_N27382123_RTRUKOC_0_US-COCOA.xml&archived=False

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Men who consumed the most cocoa had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from disease compared to those who did not eat cocoa, Dutch researchers said on Monday.

Cocoa is known to lower blood pressure, though previous studies have disagreed about whether it staves off heart disease over the long-term particularly since it is contained in foods high in fat, sugar and calories.

The new study in Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that it was not lower blood pressure that corresponded to the finding of a lower overall risk of death -- although the biggest cocoa consumers did have lower blood pressure and fewer cases of fatal heart disease than non-cocoa eaters.

Instead, the report credited antioxidants and flavanols found in cocoa with boosting the functioning of cells that line blood vessels and for lessening the risks from cholesterol and other chemicals that can cause heart attacks, cancer and lung diseases. Flavanols are a class of healthy flavonoids that are found in many vegetables, green tea and red wine.

[DainBramaged]

1. And 5 years from now they'll tell us the study was flawed

I wonder when the Twinkles study will be done? If a food group with so much preservative in it keeps it from going bad for decades, it's got to be good for us too.:sarcasm: