CocoaVia® Brand Honors Health Equality Advocate at Woman's Day Red Dress Awards

GERMANTOWN, Md., Feb. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars Symbioscience announced today that its CocoaVia® brand will be the lead sponsor of the 15th Annual Woman's Day Red Dress Awards for the third year in a row. The event, hosted on February 6, 2018 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, recognizes doctors, researchers, and advocates who are making a positive impact in the fight against heart disease, still the leading cause of death in women.

During the ceremony, the brand will honor Dr. Icilma Fergus with the 2018 CocoaVia® Healthy Heart Award. A nationally-recognized expert in cardiovascular health disparity, Dr. Fergus has devoted her career to improving health outcomes for at-risk populations through education, screening and research. Dr. Fergus is the Director of the Cardiovascular Disparities Center and Associate Professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and the founder and director of the series of Healthy Hearts projects – Harlem Healthy Hearts and Montserrat Healthy Hearts.

"Every day is a chance to celebrate good health, and we're proud to partner with Woman's Day at the Red Dress Awards to honor the special people, such as Dr. Fergus, whose work advances a mission of healthy hearts for everyone," said Nici Bush, General Manager of Mars Symbioscience. "We believe in the role of a healthy lifestyle in helping all women achieve heart health, and we are driven by the possibilities of the positive health benefits held within nature's goodness – cocoa."

Cocoa flavanols are naturally-occurring phytonutrients found in the cocoa bean, and no other food on the planet has the same unique mixture of beneficial flavanols found in cocoa. CocoaVia® supplement delivers the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols in a cocoa extract supplement today, and numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that these flavanols promote healthy blood flow from head to toe†. By helping promote healthy blood flow, the cocoa flavanols in CocoaVia® supplement help the cardiovascular system deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, which supports heart and brain health.

CocoaVia® supplement comes in two convenient forms: capsules and powdered stick packs, making it easy to add into your daily routine. The powdered stick packs are available in Original, Unsweetened and Sweetened Dark Chocolate, and Cran-Raspberry flavors and are easy to mix into your favorite foods, smoothies, yogurts, and hot or chilled drinks.

Visit www.CocoaVia.com for more information about the healthy heart benefits of cocoa flavanols and CocoaVia® supplement.

For more information on the Woman's Day Red Dress Awards, visit www.womansday.com/red-dress-awards.

†This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About Mars Symbioscience:
Mars Symbioscience, makers of CocoaVia® brand cocoa flavanol extract supplements, provides targeted bioactive and supplement solutions to individuals with the intent to measurably improve their health and wellbeing. Pioneering some of the most innovative and breakthrough fundamental scientific research, Mars Symbioscience was established in 2005 as an internal technology-based health and life sciences venture area to develop and commercialize new products and services supported by evidence-based science.

For more information please visit www.mars.com/global/brands/symbioscience.  Join Mars on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

SOURCE Mars Symbioscience