A new study may offer welcome news for both cocoa and green tea drinkers: compounds in high-flavonol cocoa and green tea may protect the body when a person eats fatty foods during times of stress.
“We know that even just an isolated episode of stress can affect the elasticity of blood vessels, which can last up to 90 minutes,” Katrina Randero, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Birmingham in the UK, said by email. is.” To Fox News Digital. She is the lead author of the study.
He said that when people are stressed, they crave high-fat foods.
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“We previously showed that the combination of stress and fatty foods prolongs the negative effects of stress on blood vessels,” he said.
However, his latest study shows that drinking certain beverages can counteract the negative effects.
Compounds in high-flavonol cocoa and green tea may protect the body from the effects of consuming fatty foods, according to a new study. (iStock)
“If you combine a fatty meal with a drink rich in flavanols, it counteracts the combined effect of stress and fat,” he said — which “reduces the effects of poor food choices on blood vessels.” can be used as a strategy.
To test this theory, Randero and his colleagues fed a group of healthy adults a breakfast of “two-butter croissants” with 10 grams of salted butter, 1.5 slices of cheddar cheese, and 250 milliliters of whole milk. Rosalind Benham, another author of the study, shared these details in a news release published by the University of Birmingham.
The groups were given either a high-flavanol cocoa or a low-flavanol cocoa drink, Baynham said.
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Baynham said flavanols are a type of compound found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, tea and nuts — including berries and unprocessed cocoa.
These compounds have known cardiovascular health benefits, he said in the release.
After breakfast and a short rest, participants were given a mental arithmetic test, which was speeded over an eight-minute period. Whenever they got a wrong answer, they were notified, the release said.
In a new study, participants were given a breakfast of croissants and a cocoa drink — then proceeded to take a math test. (iStock)
Participants were monitored during the rest period and during the math test.
“This stressful task caused significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure, similar to what you might experience with stress in everyday life,” the release said.
The study found that the group that consumed the low-flavanol drink had reduced vascular function for an hour and a half after the test ended.
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However, according to the release, “the results suggest that a cocoa drink high in flavanols is effective in preventing the decline in vascular function following stress and fat consumption.”
The findings, Randero told Fox News Digital, “may help us make more informed decisions about what we eat and drink during stressful periods.”
According to a new study, drinking high-flavanol cocoa drinks can prevent the decline of vascular function under stressful conditions. (iStock)
Randero also recommends high-quality, minimally processed cocoa powder.
In addition to lowering blood pressure, it appears that certain types of cocoa have other properties that may reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a previous Healthline report.
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Flavanol-rich cocoa “improves nitric oxide levels in your blood, which relaxes and dilates your arteries and blood vessels and improves blood flow,” the publication noted.
Although the UK participants were given cocoa drinks as their flavanol intake during the study, it was not the only source of the compounds, Randero said.
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“The scientific community recommends 400 to 600 milligrams per day of flavanols, which can be obtained from, for example, two cups of black or green tea or [having] A combination of berries, apples and high-quality, minimally processed cacao,” she said.
