Mars Extend CocoaVia Range with Milk Chocolate Variety

18/09/06 Mars, Incorporated has announced another breakthrough today from its world-leading cocoa research program – CocoaVia Milk Chocolate, which combines great-tasting milk chocolate with all the heart-healthy benefits of CocoaVia dark chocolate. Like all CocoaVia heart-healthy snacks, this new range of products delivers the unique combination of cocoa flavanols, the heart-healthy compounds that are found naturally in cocoa beans, and plant sterols, cholesterol-lowering ingredients, in a serving size of 110-150 calories.

The new milk chocolate products join the popular CocoaVia line of heart-healthy snacks, and will be in limited distribution in October and available nationwide in 2007. The varieties include CocoaVia Milk Chocolate Bars, CocoaVia Milk Chocolate Bars with Almonds and CocoaVia Milk Chocolate-Covered Raisins. The company also plans to introduce the line's first beverage - CocoaVia Rich Chocolate Indulgence with a limited distribution next month. Each serving is guaranteed to contain at least 100 milligrams of cocoa flavanols - the same amount in the original dark chocolate varieties of CocoaVia.

While most have heard the 'story' about dark chocolate potentially being good for your heart (and even the darker the better), Mars pioneered a new technology to retain more cocoa flavanols, resulting in milk chocolate with the same levels cocoa flavanols as our CocoaVia Dark Chocolate products. This gives chocolate lovers a new way to enjoy the great taste of real milk chocolate while being good to their heart.

"As the world leader in cocoa science, only Mars is able to build upon years of research to develop breakthrough products like the CocoaVia milk chocolate and beverage," said Jamie Mattikow, president of Mars Nutrition for Health & Well-Being. "We are thrilled to broaden the appeal of the original CocoaVia dark chocolate range with these delicious new milk chocolate products."

Created after more than 15 years of research, CocoaVia, which was introduced nationally earlier this year, is the only line of products that contains a patented blend of heart-healthy cocoa flavanols and cholesterol- lowering plant sterols. CocoaVia also is the only line to guarantee a significant level of cocoa flavanols through the use of a proprietary process called Mars Cocoapro, which retains much of the natural cocoa flavanols.

"As a chocolate lover - milk chocolate especially - I'm looking forward to suggesting the new products to my clients as a healthy snack option," said nutrition expert and Stealth Health author Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD. "While a popular belief is that the higher the percentage of cocoa in a chocolate, the better it is for you, the scientific evidence suggests the amount of cocoa flavanols the chocolate contains is what is really important to cardiovascular health. CocoaVia is proof that by taking special care in the selection, handling and processing of cocoa, dark and milk chocolate products can retain more of these natural cocoa flavanols."

Each serving of CocoaVia contains at least 100 milligrams of cocoa flavanols. And since each serving is packed with heart-healthy flavanols, you can eat a relatively small portion and still reap the benefits. That means less fat and fewer calories compared to a regular, larger-sized chocolate bar.

A 0.78-ounce CocoaVia Milk Chocolate Bar contains 110 calories, a serving of CocoaVia Milk Chocolate Covered Raisins contains 150 calories, while a serving of the CocoaVia Rich Chocolate Indulgence beverage contains 150 calories. Additionally, CocoaVia is fortified with calcium and a mix of heart-healthy nutrients including folic acid, vitamins B-6, B-12, C and E.
Each serving also provides 1.1 to 1.5 grams of cholesterol-lowering plant sterols. Soon to be published clinical research conducted at the University of California-Davis and presented at the 2004 American Heart Association meeting found that the plant sterols in CocoaVia Snack Bars significantly lowered total and LDL cholesterol, without negatively impacting HDL or "good" cholesterol.

Recently, Harvard researchers found that drinking a flavanol-rich cocoa beverage improved several measures of vessel function, especially in older study participants. The study, published in the July 2006 issue of the Journal of Hypertension, was the first of its kind to demonstrate that consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa made from Mars Cocoapro can improve age- related loss of vessel function. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology named another study of cocoa flavanols and blood vessel function by a collaborative group of researchers in Germany, the University of California, Davis and Mars to be one of the major advancements in cardiovascular research in 2005.