Cocoa can function in the same way as aspirin in preventing heart attacks. Scientists at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine say that a few squares of chocolate a day can reduce the risk of a heart attack by almost 50 per cent in some cases. The discovery came after volunteers for a trial on the effects of aspirin were disqualified for eating chocolate, despite being warned that this would interfere with results from the study. Despite being barred from participating in the drug study, the chocolate-eaters blood were examined and compared with others who hadn’t indulged in order to determine what effect cocoa has on platelets. Platelets from those who had eaten chocolate clotted more slowly than those who had not – taking an average of 130 seconds to clump together compared to 123. Professor Diane Becker said: “What these chocolate ‘offenders’ taught us is that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack.” The American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions Nov, 2006.