The idea of chocolate as medicine may just cure a disorder by the serotonin it secretes. But recent study findings say that there’s more to cocoa than its happiness factor.
According to a new study, cocoa may help curb the fatigue that is typically associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, the study says that cocoa like dark chocolate has flavonoids - substances found abundantly in fruit and vegetables and associated with anti-inflammatory properties.
Once the findings are confirmed in a larger study, it may offer a simple dietary approach to a persistent and hard to treat a symptom, which affects nine out of 10 people with MS.
The study says that the causes of mental and physical fatigue experienced by people with MS are complex and likely to include neural, inflammatory, metabolic, and psychological factors.
The researcher says none of the currently available approaches offers long term relief.
Previous research about dark chocolates and their relation with improvement in subjectively assessed fatigue in people with chronic fatigue syndrome prompted the researchers to see if it might also be worth exploring its potential in helping to tackle the fatigue associated with MS.
Study experts randomly assigned 40 adults recently diagnosed with the relapsing-remitting form of MS and fatigue to drink a cup of either high flavonoid cocoa powder mixed with heated rice milk (19) or a low flavonoid version (21) every day for six weeks.
Participants were instructed to wait 30 minutes before taking any prescribed medication or eating or drinking anything else, but otherwise to stick to their usual diet.
Fatigue and fatigability-the speed with which mental and physical fatigue set in-were formally assessed before the start, at the mid-point, and at the end of the trial.
After six weeks there was a small improvement in fatigue in 11 of those drinking high flavonoid cocoa compared with eight of those drinking the low flavonoid version. Furthermore, there was a moderate effect on fatigability, with those drinking high flavonoid cocoa able to cover more distance during the 6-minute walk test.
Those drinking the high flavonoid version showed a 45 percent improvement in subjectively assessed fatigue and an 80 percent improvement in walking speed.
Although not objectively measured, pain symptoms also improved more in the high flavonoid group.
"Our study establishes that the use of dietary interventions is feasible and may offer possible long-term benefits to support fatigue management, by improving fatigue and walking endurance," the researchers said.
