New Study Tests “Chocolate” Pills for Heart Health

In the first study to test cocoa flavanols which are found in dark chocolate, 18,000 men and women will be enrolled nationwide to test pills packed with the nutrients. The idea is to see whether there are health benefits from chocolate’s ingredients minus the sugar and fat, said Dr. JoAnn Manson, preventive medicine chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Cocoa flavanols have been shown to improve blood pressure, cholesterol, the body’s use of insulin, artery health and other heart-related factors in previous smaller studies. News release Brigham and Women’s Hospital.