Who said medical research had to be dull?
It’s the dream job lots of us have been looking for – as a chocolate tester.
Forty lucky volunteers are wanted to scoff sweet treats in an experiment to check if chocolate really can fight heart disease.
A team of researchers will feed the chosen subjects various types ofchocolate for the study into the effects of flavonoids – compounds found inseveral foods but particularly in cocoa.
The study will focuson blood platelets, which in people with cardiovascular disease sticktogether, forming blood clots and blocking blood vessels.
Flavonoids can stop platelets sticking together but it is not known how.
The Aberdeen University team want 40 healthy women and men, agedbetween 18 and 70, to sample various types of chocolate, including acocoa rich one made for the study.
Samples will then be taken to assess the impact the compounds in cocoa have on blood function.
The team’s Dr Baukje de Roos said: “Our study will help us understandhow flavonoids may benefit platelets and, in turn, help protect againstcardiovascular disease.”
Researcher Luisa Ostertag added:“Studies like ours could lead to these compounds being included inhealthier foods or in health supplements.”
From the Daily Record; Glasgow (UK) By Charlie Gall
