Alec Baldwin is arrested after 'punching and hospitalizing man, 49, in dispute over NYC parking spot' as Trump sarcastically quips: 'I wish him luck'
'Slit the dog's throat!' 911 dispatcher's harrowing instructions to mother as her one-year-old was mauled to death by their pet pit bull
Sisters found taped together maxed out their credit cards at NYC Hyatt and Hilton, said they would rather die than return to Saudi Arabia and were seen praying just before bodies were found
REVEALED: U.S. cities where Americans are most likely to live within their means - and where they're most likely to accumulate debt
Wages are up 3.1%, 250,000 new jobs and 50-year low unemployment: Official figures show economy is BOOMING on eve of Trump's mid-term test
Top female rower, 23, dies of rare bacterial infection just weeks after falling ill with what she thought was tonsilitis
'I didn't say shoot!' Trump says he HASN'T instructed US military to open fire on migrant caravan and now says rock-throwers will 'be arrested for a long time' time'
Migrant caravan members call Trump 'our president' and SUE him for saying they can't apply for asylum - aided by US lawyers linked to firm that profits by posting immigrants' bail
First 100 troops arrive at US-Mexico border and start erecting tents after Trump threatens that they will SHOOT migrants, as he warns Missouri rally 'these are not angels and we are not letting them in'
Playboy James Rackover is found GUILTY of murdering man and dumping his body in New Jersey shallow grave after night of drug-fueled partying
'I feel 'badly' for her': Jane Fonda reveals her thoughts on Megyn Kelly's NBC firing over blackface comments - one year on from their feud
Can you wok it out? Chinese restaurant's VERY unusual pricing system for chicken wings leaves social media perplexed
Mother, 32, who was 'raped in plane bathroom by drunk passenger' sues American Airlines after they accused her of making a 'nuisance' claim after she was taken to hospital and 'attacker' walked away scot-free
Are YOU a bully? Here's how to tell: Psychologist reveals her six red flags... including making passive aggressive remarks to colleagues
'We have no tolerance for hate or prejudice': UPS fires woman who wore blackface to work for Halloween
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen backs Andrew Gillum in the final stretch of his run historic run for Florida governor after Trump calls Democratic candidate a 'thief'
Mysterious interstellar asteroid 'Oumuamua' could be a giant solar sail 'sent from another civilization to look for signs of life,' study claims
PICTURED: Woman, 24, appears in live video from mental hospital to plead not guilty to 'slashing her 70-year-old neighbor's throat in their luxury Manhattan apartment complex'
Long Island man reveals how he got help from a PSYCHIC to find the 'bones of his long-missing father' buried under concrete in his basement
'South Park Susan' is MISSING and being evicted from her home amid fury at her racist rant at two black sisters that captured in viral video
The day the mob put a hit on Johnny Carson: How P.I. saved TV host's life after he tried to pick up godfather's girlfriend and then had to 'make things right' by covering the private school fees for gangster's grandson
Final season of House of Cards gets middling reviews as critics say the once mighty show just can't get past the firing of sex pest Kevin Spacey
She's unbeatable! Simone Biles makes history after winning a FOURTH world championship all-around gold while battling agonizing kidney stone - despite falling TWICE
Did Whitey have a death wish? Friends of the murdered mobster say he was 'tired of it all' as it's revealed he REQUESTED assignment to general population

Indulging in the treats with zinc activates a compound that slows down ageing
Reverses 'internal stress' that accumulates with age and is linked to cancer
Zinc is safe as a supplement even at high doses and can be taken regularly

By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 13:58 EDT, 2 November 2018 | Updated: 15:18 EDT, 2 November 2018

e-mail

Eating chocolate and drinking coffee or tea could help you live longer, research suggests.

Indulging in the treats while taking zinc supplements activates a compound that slows down ageing, a study found.

This reverses the 'internal stress' that naturally accumulates over the years and has been linked to everything from cancer to Alzheimer's.

Zinc is a relatively safe supplement even at high doses and could therefore be taken regularly to help slow ageing, according to the German researchers.

Chocolate, wine, coffee and tea contain the antioxidants polyphenols, which help combat cell damage.

Chocolate, wine and coffee could help you live longer, research suggests (stock)

Researchers from the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg found zinc activates a compound in polyphenols in the lab.

This activation then protects against a gas that is produced as a waste product by cells, according to the research in the journal Nature Chemistry.

This gas can damage a person's DNA - oxidative stress - and is thought to play a key role in the ageing process.

It also linked to inflammation that can then cause cancer and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Polyphenols cannot break down this damaging gas alone. But when combined with zinc, they create a 'mega complex'.

This complex mimics the naturally-occurring superoxide dismutase enzyme that destroys the gas to help protect the body from its effects.

This study is the first time the effects of this enzyme have been copied without resorting to the chemical properties of metals such as iron or copper.

Excessive exposure to these metals can cause so-called internal stress on their own. Zinc, however, is much less toxic.

Too much iron has also been linked to liver disease, diabetes and even heart failure, while too much copper can cause fever, anaemia and low blood pressure.

Zinc, however, can be tolerated at higher doses with overexposure largely leading to just nausea and a change in your taste.

The researchers therefore hope it can be taken as a supplement or incorporated as part of a drug with fewer side effects.

It is also plausible to add zinc to foods that naturally contain polyphenols. It already found in high quantities in red meat.

'It is certainly possible wine, coffee, tea or chocolate may well become be available in [the] future with added zinc,' lead author Dr Ivana Ivanović-Burmazović said.

'However, any alcohol content whatsoever would destroy the positive effects of this combination.' This means it could work with alcohol-free wines.

This comes after research released earlier this year suggested chocolate milk boosts exercise recovery more than sports drinks.

The popular milkshake allows athletes to intensely exercise for around six minutes longer than sports drink without tiring, according to Iranian scientists.