More studies are needed to decipher the pharmacological actions of flavonoids, they said.

WSJ: Sleep's Surprising Effects on Hunger

The flavonoids inhibited the secretion of various inflammatory cells called cytokines in H5N1-infected cells, but had no effect on noninfected cells or tumor necrosis factor, a key inflammatory protein.

WSJ: Sleep's Surprising Effects on Hunger

"The benefits of chocolate come from flavonoids, and those are mainly found in dark chocolate, not Easter eggs, which are usually milk chocolate and have a lot of saturated fat, " says Julia Zumpano, a registered clinical dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio.

CNN: Daily chocolate may keep the heart doctor away

Flavonoids and flu: Two plant-based flavonoids disease-fighting compounds found in many foods significantly impaired the infectious activity of H5N1 avian-flu virus in laboratory experiments and may form the basis of future influenza treatments, a report in Antiviral Research says.

WSJ: Sleep's Surprising Effects on Hunger