Women from Venus love chocolate from Mars

Feb 22 2006

CocoaVia the long-awaited chocolate from confectionery giant Mars is about to hit the market.

It is the first in a list of products which claim to tackle heart disease and cut the risk of cancer.

The confectionary is made from a certain type of dark chocolate which is high in flavanols, an antioxidant found in cocoa beans.

Flavanols are believed to have blood-thinning qualities similar to aspirin and may even help lower blood pressure.

The chocolate bars are enriched with vitamins and injected with cholesterol-lowering plant extracts from soy, while the snacks are fortified with calcium and a mix of heart-healthy nutrients including folic acid, vitamins B-6, B-12, C and E.

The company which makes the popular Milky Way, Snickers and M&Ms, has spent ten years developing the products which are expected to go on sale across America next month.

There are at present no plans for an immediate release in Europe.

The treats are described as "real chocolate pleasure while being good to your heart every day".

Mars is claiming the ingredients can significantly reduce "bad" cholesterol levels and promote healthy circulation to maintain heart health.

Mars has created a new division, Mars Nutrition for Health and Well-Being, to distribute CocoaVia.

The company has apparently developed a special manufacturing process which guarantees the retention of high levels of the naturally occurring cocoa flavanols.

Blurb accompanying the products supposedly recommends eating two of the bars a day as part of a healthy diet. Don't you love it?

Although some experts are wary of the dangers of marketing chocolate as a health product, others acknowledge money has been spent on research, and say as with red wine as long as they are part of a healthy, balanced diet, it is acceptable

Researchers in the U.S., which has some of the highest levels of obesity in the world, have also raised concerns.

Chocolate contains caffeine; more in dark than milk chocolate; and phenylethylamine, a substance said to create the same effect as being in love!