Like tea and red wine, chocolate turns out to be a particularly rich source of plant compounds called flavonoids, some of which act as antioxidants and can reduce the risk of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer, he says. Still, some caution that moderation is in order. According to Brian Henry, a spokesman for the American Heart Association, a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables would give the same protective effects. This is not a license to go out and eat chocolate. Mars Inc. As they did, they realized that cocoa contains a diverse array of flavonoids in quantities comparable to sources like tea, red wine, and soy products.
Cocoa is a bean, in the same large family of plants that includes soybeans.
Research presented by C. Tissa Kappagoda, PhD, showed that the flavonoids from cocoa could potentially reduce the narrowing of blood vessels that can contribute to the development of heart attacks. Kappagoda is director of the Coronary Heart Disease Reversal Program and professor of internal medicine at UC-Davis. Cocoa also worked in human blood to slow clotting, according to work by Keen and his colleagues. Reducing the blood's ability to clot could reduce the risk of stroke or heart attacks. Keen and his colleagues gave four groups of adults, aged 25-45, an 8 oz.