Boy, did G. K. Chesterton ever lose this round.
Dutch research suggests that eating or drinking cocoa appears to lower blood pressure and even reduce the death risks for older men.
…The researchers found that over a 15-year period, men who ate cocoa — including chocolate — regularly had significantly lower blood pressure compared with those who didn’t.
The sweet treat might even help ward off death. The researchers reported that 314 men died over the course of the study, with 152 of those deaths blamed on heart disease. Men who consumed the highest amount of cocoa were half as likely to die from cardiovascular disease, compared to men who ate little or no cocoa, the team found. In addition, men who ate the most cocoa were less likely to die from any causes.
…[the researcher] stressed that cocoa’s heart-healthy benefits only come from bittersweet dark chocolate and in concentrated cocoa beverages, which contain an effective dose of antioxidants, along with magnesium, arginine and fiber.
“This is not the case for milk chocolate, which contains potentially harmful saturated fats, or candy bars that dilute cocoa with a long list of other ingredients,” he said.
Peter will be disappointed that Mars bars definitely fall into this category.
…Anyway, forget Chesterton’s cranky poem: possibly this news will stir someone into writing another celebration of cocoa like the one that Stanley Sharpless came up with half a century ago and more. He saw an article on cocoa’s effects as a mild aphrodisiac, and produced the following:
Half past nine — high time for supper;
‘Cocoa, love?’ ‘Of course, my dear.’
Helen thinks it quite delicious,
John prefers it now to beer.
Knocking back the sepia potion,
Hubby winks, says, ‘Who’s for bed?’
‘Shan’t be long,’ says Helen softly,
Cheeks a faintly flushing red.
For they’ve stumbled on the secret
Of a love that never wanes,
Rapt beneath the tumbled bedclothes,
Cocoa coursing through their veins.
