Chocolate Pills? They're Good for your Heart

It's no news that certain types of dark chocolate, in particular, could provide excellent health benefits when consumed in moderation. Yet a recent study talks of a new, dare we say, chocolate pill? You heard right.

Mars Inc., the maker of such popular chocolate brands as M&M's will sponsor the study, along with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. 

For this two-parter, participants were first split into the chocolate pill group and the placebo group. The chocolate group took two chocolate capsules that contain the nutrients of the product, mostly cocoa flavanols that have been linked to improved blood pressure levels, overall cardiovascular health and lower cholesterol and insulin levels. 

"You're not going to get these protective flavanols in most of the candy on the market. Cocoa flavanols are often destroyed by the processing," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, preventive medicine chief at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA according to the Associated Press (AP). 

A second part of the study will also determine if multivitamins can prevent cancer as suggested by an earlier research that involved older, healthy men. Thus, the researchers will test if multivitamins can reduce cancer risks in a broader population.

This three-year study will enroll up to 18,000 male and female participants throughout the United States. 

All we can say think is, yum!