Skim Milk With Cocoa May Reduce Inflammation

Vital Signs - Study Suggests Skim Milk With Cocoa May Reduce Inflammation - NYTimes.com: "Move over, red wine. Make room for chocolate milk. A new study suggests that regular consumption of skim milk with flavonoid-rich cocoa may reduce inflammation, potentially slowing or preventing development of atherosclerosis. Researchers noted, however, that the effect was not as pronounced as that seen with red wine.

Effect of cocoa powder on the modulation of inflammatory biomarkers in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
Scientists in Barcelona, Spain, recruited 47 volunteers ages 55 and older who were at risk for heart disease. Half were given 20-gram sachets of soluble cocoa powder to drink with skim milk twice a day, while the rest drank plain skim milk. After one month, the groups were switched.

Blood tests found that after participants drank chocolate milk twice a day for four weeks, they had significantly lower levels of several inflammatory biomarkers, though some markers of cellular inflammation remained"