You Couldnt Make This Up

Dark chocs help to fight ME
From The Sun
By CLODAGH HARTLEY
December 18, 2006

DARK chocolate helps to prevent a chronic illness, scientists have discovered.
Eating a small bar every day fights the fatigue syndrome once known as yuppie flu, tests have revealed.

The illness — myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) — leaves sufferers exhausted and with neurological problems. People taking part in a study at Hull Royal Infirmary found they felt better after eating specially-formulated dark chocolate every day for eight weeks.

But chocaholics will have to search around — only chocolate made with 85 per cent cocoa was found to have health benefits. Professor Steve Atkin said: “No one has examined the effects of chocolate on ME before, so this is a very exciting result for us.“The participants took 45g of special chocolate high in polyphenol chemicals for eight weeks. They then had a two-week rest before taking a placebo chocolate, low in polyphenols, for the same time. After the first period they felt less fatigue and once they moved to a placebo chocolate they began feeling more tired again.

“They didn’t experience any significant weight gain either.”

Polyphenols can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and strokes. Chocolate also increases serotonin, which regulates mood.