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Chocolates make the best cough syrups!
Asian News International
London, November 23
Chocaholics may now get another reason to give in to the temptation of digging into another slab of chocolate, as researchers have found that ingredients in chocolate could put a stop to persistent coughs and lead to new cough medicines.
According to a research published online in FASEB Journal the team have discovered that theobromine, a derivative found in cocoa, is nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs when compared with codeine, currently considered the best cough medicine.
"Coughing is a medical condition which affects most people at some point in their lives, and yet no effective treatment exists. While persistent coughing is not necessarily harmful it can have
major impact on quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem," Professor Peter Barnes, from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital, was quoted as saying.
Theobromine works by suppressing vagus nerve activity, which is responsible for causing coughing. The team also discovered that unlike standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no adverse effects on either the cardiovascular or central nervous systems.
"Not only did theobromine prove more effective than codeine, at the doses used it was found to have none of the side effects. Normally the effectiveness of any treatment is limited by the dosage you can give someone. With theobromine having no demonstrated side effects in this study it may be possible to give far bigger doses, further increasing its effectiveness," Professor Maria Belvisi, from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital was quoted as saying.
"At the same time, theobromine may not have any of the side effects such as drowsiness. This means there will be no restrictions on when it can be taken. For example, people using heavy machinery or who are driving should not take codeine, but they could take theobromine," she added.
I think I feel a cough comming on, I'm gonna go eat a chocolate bar just to be safe
Asian News International
London, November 23
Chocaholics may now get another reason to give in to the temptation of digging into another slab of chocolate, as researchers have found that ingredients in chocolate could put a stop to persistent coughs and lead to new cough medicines.
According to a research published online in FASEB Journal the team have discovered that theobromine, a derivative found in cocoa, is nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs when compared with codeine, currently considered the best cough medicine.
"Coughing is a medical condition which affects most people at some point in their lives, and yet no effective treatment exists. While persistent coughing is not necessarily harmful it can have
major impact on quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem," Professor Peter Barnes, from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital, was quoted as saying.
Theobromine works by suppressing vagus nerve activity, which is responsible for causing coughing. The team also discovered that unlike standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no adverse effects on either the cardiovascular or central nervous systems.
"Not only did theobromine prove more effective than codeine, at the doses used it was found to have none of the side effects. Normally the effectiveness of any treatment is limited by the dosage you can give someone. With theobromine having no demonstrated side effects in this study it may be possible to give far bigger doses, further increasing its effectiveness," Professor Maria Belvisi, from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital was quoted as saying.
"At the same time, theobromine may not have any of the side effects such as drowsiness. This means there will be no restrictions on when it can be taken. For example, people using heavy machinery or who are driving should not take codeine, but they could take theobromine," she added.
I think I feel a cough comming on, I'm gonna go eat a chocolate bar just to be safe
