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Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK
researchers.
Their study found that theobromine , found in cocoa, was nearlv a third more effective in stopping
coughs than codeine,which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their resulcs online said the discovery could
lead to more effective cough treatment. "While coughing is not necessarily harmful it can have a major
effect on the quality of life,and this discoverv could be a huge step forward in treating this problem. " said
Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers were given theobromine,codeine or a placebo, a pill that contains no medicine,
during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The
researchers then measured levels of capsaicin,which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign
of how well the medicines arc stopping coughs.
The team found that . when the volunteers were given theobromine , the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they needed
only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity , which causes
coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side
effects such as sleepiness.
1. According to Professor Barnes theobromine _________ .
A. cannot be as effective as codeine
B. can be harmful to people's health
C. cannot be separated from chocolate
D. can be a more effective cure for coughs
2. What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?
A. Theobromine.
B. Codeine.
C. Capsaicin.
D. Placebo.
3. We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment ____.
A. were patients with bad coughs
B. were divided into three groups
C. received standard treatments
D. suffered little side effects
4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Codeine : A New Medicine
B. Chocolate May Cure Coughs
C. Cough Treatment:A Hard Case
D. Theobromine Can Cause Coughs
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