Cocoa isn't exactly the No. 1 drink of choice in Japan, but late in 1995 you would have been hard pressed to find any at all in stores. That wasn't because of a contamination scare or anything -- but because shoppers were clamoring to get their hands on the stuff.

Like so many other booms, this one, too, was triggered by television -- specifically a noontime program called "Gogo wa Maru-maru Omoikkiri Terebi," hosted by the famously flamboyant Monta Mino, whose pitch is to introduce products said to "do you good." In cocoa's case, it was suggested that a constituent called polyphenol may act as an antioxidant, preventing diseases such as hardening of the arteries and diabetes. Before you could say "hot chocolate," the shelves were empty.

Next it was the turn of red wine. In 1996 its popularity soared -- not for reasons of snobbery or taste, but on health grounds. That followed reports of research findings that red wine, too, is rich in polyphenol.