Everybody loves chocolate for its delectable taste, but who would think that it could also be a solution against cancer? A recent study has found that having daily cocoa doses could reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer. Past research have revealed the health benefits of the cocoa bean, saying that it is rich in powerful antioxidants that can help destroy harmful molecules, or free radicals. Eating chocolate with high cocoa content has also been found to help manage diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure.
The lead author of this latest cocoa study, Dr. Maria Arribas of the Science and Technology Institute of Food Nutrition in Spain, said that cocoa, as well as other foods rich in polyphenols, play a vital role in the protection against diseases.
For their study. Dr. Arribas and her research team tested if cocoa could prevent rats from developing bowel cancer when exposed to tumor-causing substances.
The term "bowel cancer" generally refers to cancer that starts in the large bowel and can also be considered colon or rectal cancer. depending on where the cancer begins.
One group of rats were fed 12% cocoa daily for eight weeks, while another group was given a cocoa-free diet.
After some time, both groups were exposed to azoxymethane a carcinogen that induces colon cancer.
Within four weeks, the rats began to develop intestinal cancers.
However, the researchers found that the rats that were fed cocoa had a reduced number of pre-cancerous lesions compared to the other group.
This study, published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, is believed to be the first research endeavor suggesting that cocoa could help stave off bowel cancer.
Although the results of this study are promising, Cancer Research UK spokesperson Sarah Williams warned that too much chocolate can also be detrimental.
She added that this study involved rats that were give large amounts of cocoa for weeks, and that it was not safe to conclude that simply eating chocolate or drinking cocoa could significantly help protect people from bowel cancer.
"Chocolate is high in fat and calories, so eating too much of it could lead you to put on weight," she stressed.
