Health Minister Harsh Vardhan recommends dark chocolate to beat COVID stress; where’s the proof, ask experts

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 9

Public health researchers on Sunday asked Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to present evidence after he asked people to have dark chocolate with 70 percent cocoa content to beat COVID-19 related stress.

Anant Bhan, a bioethics researcher who works out of Pune and Bhopal, asked the minister “where is the evidence in COVID context?”

Vardhan’s tweet suggesting a range of foods including dark chocolate to boost immunity and beat stress also urged people to have vegetables and fruits to increase their vitamin and mineral content.

But the minister’s advice on dark chocolate had the Twitter users asking if the PDS system range had changed.

“How many people can afford dark chocolates anyway,” Bhan asked with some others demanding that the minister make evidence based statements.

On Saturday The Lancet medical journal had in its editorial questioned Vardhan’s March statement that India was in the COVID endgame.