Chocolate is better for you than cough syrup, according to a study

Photo: AFP Good news for all chocoholics. The next time you come down with a cough, just pop a piece of your favourite treat into your mouth and you'll get all the cough-suppressing effects of codeine syrup without the fuzzy-headed side-effects. Scientists from Imperial College London previously found that a compound in cocoa was better at suppressing a cough than standard medicine. According to Prof Morice, a new chocolate medicine, Unicough, has been shown to reduce cough frequency and sleep disruption within 48 hours. Related: Wristband prototype detects drug overdoses A study of 163 people revealed that patients taking the chocolate-based medicine saw significant improvements in two days. Although, he did add that chugging down a mug of your favourite hot chocolate won't have the same effect on your cough as an actual bar of chocolate -- so, if in doubt, grab the big bar. Even with this research, and as great as it all sounds, it's probably best to check with your GP if home remedies of bars of chocolate don't work.