What if a warm cup of cocoa could be the key to protecting your heart when you’re stressed out?
The good news is a study has found a link between better blood vessel function when people were given the flavanol-rich beverage compared to people who drank something that wasn’t rich in the molecules.
This was found to be the case when participants were dealing with mental stress. It could lead to protection from stress-induced cardiovascular issues such as stroke, heart disease and thrombosis, which is the clotting of blood in the circulatory system.
These findings came from a research team from the University of Birmingham who evaluated the effects of flavanols, naturally occurring molecules in fruit and vegetables, on changes in vascular function from stress.
The results were published last month in the journal Nutrients.
“We found that drinking flavanol-rich cocoa can be an effective dietary strategy to reduce temporary impairments in endothelial function following mental stress and also improve blood flow during stressful episodes,” lead author Catarina Rendeiro, Ph.D., of the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences said in a press release.
“Flavanols are extremely common in a wide range of fruit and vegetables. By utilizing the known cardiovascular benefits of these compounds during periods of acute vascular vulnerability (such as stress) we can offer improved guidance to people about how to make the most of their dietary choices during stressful periods.”
Postgraduate student Rosalind Baynham conducted a randomized study of a group of healthy men. They consumed a flavanol-rich cocoa drink an hour and a half before performing an eight-minute mental stress assignment.
Participants’ forearm blood flow and cardiovascular activity at rest were measured. The same blood flow was also evaluated while under stress. Additionally, researchers measured the functioning of the blood vessels for as long as an hour and a half after stress. It was then that they saw blood vessel function wasn’t as weakened when the participants consumed the cocoa. They also found flavanols boost blood flow when stressed.
“Our findings are significant for everyday diet, given that the daily dosage administered could be achieved by consuming a variety of foods rich in flavanols — particularly apples, black grapes, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, pears, pulses, green tea and unprocessed cocoa,” Rendeiro said. “This has important implications for measures to protect the blood vessels of those individuals who are more vulnerable to the effects of mental stress.”
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