Hot Cocoa is Good for You
November 13, 2003
Stunning Health News About Hot Cocoa
Sweet! Hot cocoa really is good for you. Sip a steaming mug
of hot cocoa and you'll get more disease-fighting
antioxidants per cup than a similar serving of red wine or
tea, report researchers from Cornell University.
Cocoa's antioxidants are almost two times stronger than red
wine, two to three times stronger than green tea, and four
to five times stronger than black tea, reports Science
Daily. Antioxidants--vitamins C and E and beta
carotene--are widely believed to fight cancer, heart
disease, and aging. They may even help stave off the
memory-robbing Alzheimer's disease.
The Cornell study is the most extensive comparison yet of
the total antioxidant content of cocoa, wine, and tea,
arguably the world's most popular drinks after water.
There's just one problem with all this: Scientists know
antioxidants are essential for our good health and
longevity, but they don't yet know how much we need every
day.
If you want to get your antioxidant dose from something
sweet, there is nothing better than hot cocoa. And the key
word here is "hot." Lead study author Chang Yong Lee says
hot is better than cold. For some reason, when cocoa is
heated, more antioxidants are released than when it's cold.
Don't want the fat and extra sugar of hot cocoa? Use skim
or soy milk instead of whole milk and an artificial
sweetener instead of sugar.
The study findings appear in the Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry.