Drinking a mug of cocoa once a day could help people with MS battle fatigue, research suggests.
Patients who drank cocoa drink rich in flavonoids every day for six weeks reported less fatigue and pain, scientists at Oxford Brookes University found.
The researchers believe this is because the flavonoids in cocoa have anti-inflammatory properties.
Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting 100,000 people in Britain.
The condition, which affects twice as many women as men, causes fatigue among nine in ten patients, along with pain and eventually loss of mobility and sight problems.
The condition is caused when the body's immune system malfunctions, and instead of warding off diseases turns instead to attack the body's own nerves.
The researchers said: 'Our study establishes that the use of dietary interventions is feasible and may offer possible long-term benefits to support fatigue management, by improving fatigue and walking endurance.'
