CHOCOLATE NOBEL PRIZES and CENTENARIANS
by
DR. J. EDSEL EDMUNDS* & FRANCIS RICHARDS
In an article published in the Washington Post by Karl Ritter and Marilyn Machione entitled “Eat more chocolate, win more Nobel Prizes” (Research looks country by country and sees a possible link), the authors referred to a “note” from the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that “there is evidence that flavonols in green tea, red wine and chocolate can help in slowing down or even reversing age-related medical decline”. The authors also state from a publication by Franz Messerli of St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University in New York who examined a country’s per capita chocolate consumption as it relates to the number of Nobels as a possible sign of a nation’s “cognitive function”
According to the Post report, Switzerland led in chocolate consumption and Nobels, the United States in the middle of the pack with the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Belgium and Germany. At the bottom were China, Japan and Brazil. Unfortunately the study did not include St Lucia with the highest per capita of Nobels, - two with a population of less than 200,000, neither did the study include the fact that Dominica has the highest percentage of centenarians per capita in the world, with a population of 70,000. 
There are currently twenty-seven (27) centenarians on island of Dominica. The world’s oldest human being once lived there. Elizabeth Israel (Ma Pampo) as she was commonly called was 128 years when she died on October 14th 2003. She resided in a small community of Glanvillia in the second town Portsmouth. It is believed that longevity is attributed to healthy diet and lifestyle. Most of the foods consumed are natural and contains little preservatives. She boasts of eating some of the best foods including provisions, cane juice, cocoa tea with milk, cow meat and toloma (local root crop).
Perhaps we can do our own research to find out how much coco tea our two Nobels consumed in their productive lives as well as the rich cocoa tea consumed by the past and present 'Nobel' Dominican centenarians. We recall drinking coco tea almost every morning without achieving, a Nobel effect. Perhaps exotic hotels like the St. Lucia Chocolate Hotel could take advantage of the specially acclaimed virtues of chocolate to attract more tourists to improve their “cognitive function”
The Washington Post is usually known for its serious articles. As a scientist, Dr. Edmunds questions the scientific method used in arriving at the chocolate coated articles.
Nevertheless, we congratulate St.Lucia for dedicating a month to their chocolate delights including congratulations to St Lucia Chocolate Hotel for perhaps contributing to the world’s “cognitive function”. Dr Edmunds suggests the preparation of a chocolate rum drink which is most spirited and intended to help his “cognitive functions”. As a former banana research scientist, he recommends that we concoct a chocolate flavored banana drink or a banana flavored chocolate drink chased with our famous local rums. In both cases this could do well in advertising “The Helen of the West” and the 'Nature Island' as not only being “Simply Beautiful” but a contributor to human “cognitive functions” and by inference the well being of humanity.
*Former Senior Research Fellow, UWI, St. Augustine Campus
Former Director of Banana Research for the Windward Islands
The Edmunds Group International
