FoodBozo.com

OTTAWA (CBC) – Quebec maple syrup producers are promoting the health benefits of the sticky treat.

One U.S. researcher has found 13 new antioxidant compounds in maple syrup, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers says.

University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram, backed by $115,000 from the federation, the Conseil pour le développement de l’agriculture du Québec and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, presented his findings recently at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Read more: Maple syrup’s health benefits touted

Also see N.B. maple syrup producers tap new funds

PARIS (AFP) – The same molecular pathways that steer people into drug addiction also lie behind the craving to overeat, driving individuals into obesity, a new study suggests.

The research, based on lab animals, bolsters long-standing suspicions that addiction to pleasure stems from overstimulus of a key reward mechanism in the brain, its authors say.

Publishing online in the journal Nature Neuroscience, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida fed rats high-fat, high-calorie treats — bacon, sausage, cheesecake and so on — and watched the rodents bulk out dramatically.

Read more: Junkies and junk-food addicts share craving mechanism

LONDON – The Easter Bunny might lower your chances of having a heart problem. According to a new study, small doses of chocolate every day could decrease your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 40 per cent.

German researchers followed nearly 20,000 people over eight years, sending them several questionnaires about their diet and exercise habits.

They found people who had an average of six grams of chocolate per day – or about one square of a chocolate bar – had a 39 per cent lower risk of either a heart attack or stroke. The study is scheduled to be published Wednesday in the European Heart Journal.

Read more: Study: A small dose of chocolate could cut heart attack or stroke risk by almost 40 per cent

Also see BBC’s Chocolate ‘can cut blood pressure and help heart’