May 12/Chicago/Examiner -- According to a new study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers from Pennsylvania State University found properties in cocoa may have the potential to inhibit the digestion of carbohydrates and fats, thus keeping the body from absorbing these potentially harmful compounds.
“The present study provides the first evidence that cocoa extracts and cocoa procyanidins are potent inhibitors of key enzymes in the digestion of carbohydrates and lipids in vitro, and these inhibitory activities are related to polyphenol content in cocoa extract,” write the authors in the new report.