Cocoa great antioxidant source

A cup of hot cocoa may be richer in antioxidants than better-known "healthy" drinks like tea and red wine, new research suggests.

Dr Chang Yong Lee and colleagues at Cornell University in New York tested the drinks for their levels of antioxidants, the chemicals that can protect against a range of diseases and reduce the effects of ageing, according to a BBC report.

Cocoa beats other "healthy" foods
Cocoa came out on top. The researchers found a cup of it was twice as rich in antioxidants as a glass of red wine, up to three times richer than a cup of green tea and up to five times richer than black tea.

Although cocoa is found in many other products, such as chocolate, the researchers said drinking it was the best way of harnessing its health benefits. That's because a bar of chocolate is high in saturated fats. A 40g bar of chocolate contains about 8g of saturated fat. This compares with 0.3g in an average cup of hot cocoa.

The study is published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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