Treating blood vessels with chocolate

Photo: Treating blood vessels with chocolate


It is known that a small amount of dark chocolate consumed daily has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system.

According to doctors, the main causes of atherosclerosis are decreased elasticity of arteries and the adhesion of leukocytes to the vessel walls, which impedes blood flow and forms sclerotic plaques.

Fifty to seventy grams of dark chocolate a day will help restore our arteries' strength. Moreover, the high flavanol content does not enhance the effect, as previously thought.

Scientists at the Institute of Food Science at Wageningen University (Netherlands) conducted research that found that flavanol, found in cocoa beans, does not have an effect on strengthening vascular walls.

However, as noted by Dutch scientist Diederik Esser, who took part in the experiments, a high concentration of this substance improves the taste of chocolate, which stimulates consumption of the product.

Forty-four male volunteers agreed to be test subjects. All were overweight.

For four weeks, each of them received seventy grams of chocolate with a high cocoa content daily. For the next four weeks, they received regular chocolate in a similar dose.

After conducting patient tests, it was found that the effects of each type of chocolate on the vascular system were virtually identical. Furthermore, doctors discovered that increased flavanol content increased cravings for the tasty "medicine."

Gerald Weissman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, hopes that a therapeutic approach based on the effects of dark chocolate on the body will be developed. Until then, we'll rely on nature's gifts.




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