Chocolate: Tastiest Cough Medicine Ever?‏

As if we needed another excuse to have some chocolate, research shows that it may be an effective cough suppressant, too.

New Scientist reports:

An ingredient in chocolate may actually be a more effective cough medicine than traditional remedies, a new study suggests.

And not only that, the UK-based research showed that the cocoa-derived compound had none of the side effects associated with standard drug treatments for persistent coughs.

"These sorts of coughs, often lasting for weeks after a viral infection, can be difficult to treat, especially since it is not possible to give large doses of opiate-based medication to patients due to the side effects," says Peter Barnes, professor of thoracic medicine at Imperial College London, UK, who led the study.

In the study, the testers were given theobromine, a component of chocolate, codeine or a placebo. Those who had the theobromine were less likely to cough than those who received the placebo, and even those who received codeine who coughed at the same rate as the placebo.

So the next time you have one of those nagging coughs you can't seem to shake, chocolate may be the answer. Of course, getting the weight off afterward is another issue.