Hot Chocolate as a Health Drinks

Drinks And Health
There is a new reason to enjoy hot cocoa on a cold winter's night in front of a cozy fire. Consider it a health drink. Beyond the froth, cocoa teems with antioxidants that prevent cancer, food scientists say. Comparing the chemical anti-cancer activity in beverages known to contain antioxidants, they have found that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea. Scientists have long known that cocoa contains antioxidants, but no one knew just how plentiful they were compared with those in red wine and green tea.

The reason that cocoa leads the other drinks is its high content of compounds called phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids, indicating the presence of known antioxidants that can stave off cancer, heart disease and other ailments. The scientists discovered 611 milligrams of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE) in a single serving of cocoa. Examining a glass of red wine, the researchers found 340 milligrams of GAE and 163 milligrams of ECE. In a cup of green tea, they found 165 milligrams of GAE and 47 milligrams of ECE. When the scientist compared one serving of each beverage, the cocoa turned out to be the highest in antioxidant activity. Phenolic compounds protect plants against insects and pathogens, and they remain active even after food processing.

A decade ago food scientists did not know that phenolics had an important role in human health. The researchers discuss eating chocolate bars instead of drinking cocoa. Although a bar of chocolate exhibits strong antioxidant activity, the health benefits are still controversial because of the saturated fats present. They explain that cocoa has about one-third of a gram of fat per one-cup serving, compared with eight grams of fat in a standard-size 40-gram chocolate bar. Faced with the confusing prospect of drinking red wine or green tea or cocoa, the scientists suggests enjoying all three in different parts of the day.
Drinks And Health