Organic cocoa does much more than just improve the taste of the product. It supplies more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, helping to fight cancer-causing free radicals in the body. Cocoa contains several neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine and andandamide, which help improve mood. It also contains the appetite-suppressant Phenyl Ethyl Amine (PEA), a compound that controls alertness and mental awareness. It provides trace minerals and contains the flavonoid epicatechin, which has been shown to reduce atherosclerotic plaque, which builds up in arteries and can eventually choke off blood supply to organs and tissues, or cause aneurysms. Norman Hollenberg, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has conducted studies which have led him to state that epicatechin is so important that it may rival penicillin and anaesthesia in terms of public health, and that it should be considered a vitamin. Observational data show a 90% reduction in the risks of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes in persons consuming cocoa on a regular basis.

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