Mars Chocolate Bars Found to Contain Plant Sterols That Lower Cholesterol
Chocolate lovers everywhere are celebrating the publication of a study in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. This new study has added weight to the healthy image of the Mars CocoaVia nutritional bar; specifically these nutritional candy bars were found to lower cholesterol levels in human test subjects.
The researchers from the University of California at Davis tested the cholesterol levels of 67 male and female volunteers who had been diagnosed as having high cholesterol. The volunteers were then divided up into two groups, with the first group eating a CocoaVia bar, containing 1.5 grams of plant sterols, two times a day. The second group consumed a placebo instead. The group who ate the CocoaVia bar twice a day reduced their level of total cholesterol by 4.7 percent, and their level of LDL cholesterol an average of 6 percent during the six week study.
High levels of LDL cholesterol is known to increase the risk of heart disease, a condition that is responsible for nearly half of all deaths in Europe, costing the European Union some $202 billion annually.
In reacting to the study, Mars research scientist Dr. Catherine Kwik-Uribe stated “Heart health is a national public health priority and our study supports that offering consumers a great tasting, lower calorie chocolate snack product with plant sterols, like CocoaVia bars, can be a practical and enjoyable dietary strategy”.
Masterfoods U.S., which is Mars’ parent company, uses a patented process known as Cocoapro to extract the naturally occurring flavonols from the cocoa beans they use, and the company has been conducting this kind of research for over 15 years. Even so, the company has been under fire recently from the Food and Drug Administration for the health claims the company made on its CocoaVia bar labels. In June the FDA sent a warning letter to Masterfoods U.S. stating its concerns about this marketing campaign and worrying about the company making such health claims for a product that was high in saturated fat.
Mike Adams, frequent critic of junk food producers and the author of “How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days”, explained “"I think it's fantastic that the Mars company is seriously investigating the many health benefits of chocolate," and went on to state "Chocolate really does help lower cholesterol. I would only urge consumers to remember that most Mars products are made with refined sugars and other less-than-healthful ingredients. If people want the full health benefits from chocolate, without the negative health consequences of eating processed sugar products, they should eat raw cacao nibs or blend their own chocolate smoothies using a Vitamix."
