Chocolate ingredient is an effective cough suppressant
Theobromine, an ingredient found in chocolate, has been found to be an effective cough suppressant.
Researchers from Imperial College London tested the compound in a placebo-controlled
study and conclude that it is “a novel and promising treatment,
which may form the basis for a new class of antitussive drugs”.
They found that theobromine, a methyl-xanthine derivative present in
cocoa, suppressed capsaicin-induced cough in human volunteers with no
adverse effects. However, they say that further
research will be necessary to determine whether theobromine will be effective
in patients with chronic persistent cough.
As well as the placebo-controlled trial, the researchers looked at the
effect of theobromine on guinea pig and human nerve preparations in
vitro.
They say that, taken together, the findings suggest theobromine’s
antitussive action is a result of direct inhibition of sensory nerve
activation, rather than a centrally mediated mechanism (Federation
of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, published online 17 November 2004). |
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