Lots of mothers swear by the benefits of slathering their
growing bellies and boobs with cocoa butter. The ingredient is
mixed into affordable balms and creams that women often purchase
as a preventative measure upon finding out they are pregnant.
But, new research suggests that cocoa butter lotions and potions
have little to no benefit. One report said: The largest study on
the subject was published in 2008 by a team of dermatologists
and obstetricians. It followed 175 women in their first
pregnancies, some randomly assigned to apply a cocoa butter
lotion each day and others assigned to use a placebo. Neither
the subjects nor the researchers knew who was using which
treatment. After many months, the researchers found no
difference in the development or severity of marks, known
medically as striae, over the abdomen, breasts or thighs.  The
piece suggests Vitamin E as an effective alternative. What's
your opinion?