Drinking a mug of cocoa each day may help curb fatigue in thousands of multiple sclerosis patients because it contains anti-inflammatory compounds
- MS is degenerative condition that affects more than 100,000 people in the UK
- But cocoa is rich in flavonoids which contains anti-inflammatory properties
- Scientists have now called for consuming cocoa to be offered as a treatment
Drinking a mug of cocoa once a day could help people with MS battle fatigue, research suggests.
Patients who drank cocoa drink rich in flavonoids every day for six weeks reported less fatigue and pain, scientists at Oxford Brookes University found.
The researchers believe this is because the flavonoids in cocoa have anti-inflammatory properties.
Helpful: Tiredness impacts nine out of 10 MS sufferers and the symptom has been linked to a combination of neural, inflammatory, metabolic, and psychological factors
Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting 100,000 people in Britain.
The condition, which affects twice as many women as men, causes fatigue among nine in ten patients, along with pain and eventually loss of mobility and sight problems.
The condition is caused when the body’s immune system malfunctions, and instead of warding off diseases turns instead to attack the body’s own nerves.
The new study, published in the BMJ Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, split 40 people recently diagnosed with the relapsing remitting form of MS and fatigue into two groups.
The first were told to drink a cup of either high-flavonoid cocoa powder mixed with heated rice milk every day for six weeks, or a low-flavonoid version for the same duration.
Participants were told to wait 30 minutes before taking any prescribed medication or eating or drinking anything else, but otherwise they could stick to their usual diet.
Fatigue levels were assessed throughout the study, and those on the drinks rated their fatigue on a scale of one to 10, at 10am, 3pm and 8pm every day.
Activity levels were also measured with a pedometer.
After six weeks, there was a small improvement in fatigue in 11 of those drinking the high-flavonoid cocoa compared with eight of those drinking the low-flavonoid version, researchers found.
Those drinking the high-flavonoid cocoa were also able to walk further than those in the other group during a six-minute walking test.
Pain levels also seemed to be lower in those on the high-flavonoid drink.
The researchers said: ‘Our study establishes that the use of dietary interventions is feasible and may offer possible long-term benefits to support fatigue management, by improving fatigue and walking endurance.’
Dr Shelly Coe, senior lecturer in nutrition at Oxford Brookes University, who led the study, said: ‘MS is unpredictable and different for everyone, so we now need to know exactly how effective flavonoid-rich hot chocolate is and whether it can benefit all people with MS before it’s recommended.
‘This work is still in its early stages, but with more data we very much hope to find a dietary approach that could help people with MS manage their symptoms, cheaply and safely, in the future.’
She said people with MS and fatigue may find drinking a raw form of cacao daily helps with their fatigue.
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, director of research at the MS Society, which funded the study, said: ‘We know fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of MS and it can have a huge impact on quality of life, so finding more comprehensive treatments that help is one of our top research priorities.’