摘要：
荷兰研究人员27日公布的一份研究报告显示，老年男性中那些大量摄入可可粉的人与从不吃含可可粉食物的人相比，前者因病死亡的概率要低许多。
Men who consumed the most cocoa had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from disease compared to those who did not eat cocoa, Dutch researchers said on Monday.

荷兰研究人员27日公布的一份研究报告显示，老年男性中那些大量摄入可可粉的人与从不吃含可可粉食物的人相比，前者因病死亡的概率要低许多。 　

据路透社2月28日报道，此项研究历时15年，调查对象是居住于荷兰祖特芬市的470名年龄在65岁到84岁之间的老年男性。其中，有三分之一的人一点儿可可粉都不吃，另三分之一的人平均每天摄入可可粉4.2克。从1985年到2000年的时间段内，共有314名受调查者死亡。与从不吃可可粉的人相比，那些最爱吃含可可粉食品的人死于各种疾病的可能性只相当于前者的一半。

报告的作者布赖恩·布伊耶斯来自荷兰比尔托芬市的国家公共卫生与环境研究院。布伊耶斯认为，要想在更为广泛的人群中得出有关可可粉健康功效的结论，则还需要进行更多的研究。他说，"只有在进行了更大规模的研究后，我们才能够明确表示可可粉能够拯救你的生命"。美国纽约莱诺克斯山岭医院的心脏病专家尼卡·哥德伯格说，"这一研究的结论并不适用于广大公众，因为其所涉及的研究对象仅包括65岁以上的男性"。这份研究报告已经被刊登在《内科医学文献》杂志上。

可可粉往往存在于那些富含脂肪和糖的高热量食物中。布伊耶斯的报告认为，可可粉中的抗氧化剂以及黄烷醇可以提升血管内壁各种细胞的机能，同时还能够减轻由胆固醇及其它化合物导致的罹患心脏病、癌症和肺病的风险。黄烷醇是一种有益于人体健康的黄酮类化合物，广泛存在于多种蔬菜、绿茶和红葡萄酒中。

（国际在线独家资讯 张咏）

Men who consumed the most cocoa had a 50 percent lower risk of dying from disease compared to those who did not eat cocoa, Dutch researchers said on Monday.

Cocoa is known to lower blood pressure, though previous studies have disagreed about whether it staves off heart disease over the long-term particularly since it is contained in foods high in fat, sugar and calories.

The new study in Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that it was not lower blood pressure that corresponded to the finding of a lower overall risk of death -- although the biggest cocoa consumers did have lower blood pressure and fewer cases of fatal heart disease than non-cocoa eaters.

Instead, the report credited antioxidants and flavanols found in cocoa with boosting the functioning of cells that line blood vessels and for lessening the risks from cholesterol and other chemicals that can cause heart attacks, cancer and lung diseases. Flavanols are a class of healthy flavonoids that are found in many vegetables, green tea and red wine.

The 15-year study of 470 elderly men aged 65 to 84 in Zutphen, the Netherlands, found one-third did not eat any cocoa, while the median intake was 4.2 grams per day among the third who consumed the most cocoa. From 1985 to 2000, 314 of the men died, and the biggest cocoa eaters were at half the risk of dying compared to men who did not eat it.

The report's author, Brian Buijsse of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, said drawing conclusions for the broader population would require more study of cocoa's impact on health.

"Before we can say cocoa can save your life, a larger study would need to be done," agreed Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologists at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who did not participate in the research. "This study is not generalizable to the public because it was done in men over the age of 65 years."

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