The health benefits of an ingredient found in cocoa have been deemed so important by a professor at Harvard Medical School, that he claims it should be considered as a vitamin.
After studying the benefits of drinking cocoa, professor of medicine Norman Hollenberg discovered that epicatechin, a compound found in cocoa, tea and wine, can be beneficial to health by reducing the risk of contracting four of the five most common killer diseases.
When conducting a study in Kuna, Panama - where people can consume up to 40 cups of cocoa a week - Mr Hollenberg found that the risk of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes shrinks to just 10%, he told Science & Industry magazine.
According to the magazine, flavanols such as epicatechin are currently removed from commercial cocoas because of the biter taste they can create. If the health claims are confirmed, this provides an opportunity for the development of epicatechin supplements.
After studying the benefits of drinking cocoa, professor of medicine Norman Hollenberg discovered that epicatechin, a compound found in cocoa, tea and wine, can be beneficial to health by reducing the risk of contracting four of the five most common killer diseases.
When conducting a study in Kuna, Panama - where people can consume up to 40 cups of cocoa a week - Mr Hollenberg found that the risk of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes shrinks to just 10%, he told Science & Industry magazine.
According to the magazine, flavanols such as epicatechin are currently removed from commercial cocoas because of the biter taste they can create. If the health claims are confirmed, this provides an opportunity for the development of epicatechin supplements.
