A staggering 38% of global cocoa is lost each year to disease or pests - and this figure looks set to rise - yet research is scant compared to rice, corn or wheat. Why is this and what is being done to reduce it?
A study to be conducted by the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK,
will examine whether adding flavonoids found in cocoa to the diet,
gives additional protection against heart disease on top of that
provided by prescription drugs.
Epicatechin, a flavanol found in cocoa, tea and wine, could be so
important to the diet that it should be classified as a vitamin,
says a Harvard researcher.
Research published this month suggests that some cocoa and
chocolate products have a very high flavanol content, a factor
which makes them good at protecting the body against cardiovascular
disease. But all chocolate products do not...
