• Health

Researchers Are Going to Dose 18,000 Volunteers With Little Chocolate Pills

1 minute read

Researchers will feed intense concentrations of chocolate to thousands of volunteers to see if it improves their heart health.

No, this isn’t a chocoholic’s fever dream, this is a three year study just launched by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and chocolate-maker Mars Inc.

According to AP, the study expands on previous research of cocoa flavanols, the essential nutrients in dark chocolate, which have been shown to lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Lest anyone think about self-medicating in the name of science, researchers caution that the pills also strip out sugar and fat. They also contain concentrations of chocolate nutrients that no one could get from regular candy bars without bursting.
[AP]

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com