---
Chocolate Said To Help Blood Vessels
Chocolate Said To Help Blood Vessels -- Posted by Gumbo on 11-01-04 17:27
Chocolate Said To Help Blood Vessels
MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- There's more good news for chocolate lovers.
Scientists have found that eating dark chocolate appears to improve the
function of important cells lining the wall of blood vessels for at least
three hours.
The study, involving 17 healthy young volunteers who agreed to eat a bar of
dark chocolate and then get an ultrasound, found that eating dark chocolate
seemed to make the blood vessels more flexible, which helps prevent the
hardening of the arteries that leads to heart attacks.
But experts cautioned that the weight gain from eating a lot of chocolate
probably would cancel out the apparent benefit.
Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, which act as natural antioxidants --
chemicals that combat the damage oxygen does to the body. However, that does
not mean that chocolate binges will ward off a heart attack, experts warn.
Cacao, the plant that chocolate comes from, has for centuries been used for
everything from medicine to currency. Although enjoyed worldwide, until
recently it was considered a treat that provided fat and calories but no
substantial nutritional value.
Studies recently have indicated that it releases the happy chemical
seratonin in the brain.
However, during the last few years, studies have suggested -- much to the
delight of chocoholics -- that it is rich in flavonoids.
The latest study, conducted by cardiologists at Athens Medical School in
Greece, set out to test whether chocolate affected the functioning of the
so-called endothelial cells in the walls of the blood vessels, which are
believed to be affected by oxygen damage and are considered a mirror of the
overall health of the cardiovascular system.
The scientists, who presented their work Sunday at Europe's most important
cardiology conference, gave 3.5 ounces of either dark, bittersweet,
chocolate or fake chocolate to 17 healthy volunteers.
On another day, the volunteers were switched. They had no chocolate outside
of the study, and investigators did not know what each volunteer ate during
the study.
An ultrasound was taken of each volunteer's upper arm to see the functioning
of the endothelial cells in the main artery. The cells accomplish their goal
of controlling the stiffness of the blood vessel by secreting several active
substances that regulate the flexibility of the vessel and influence clot
formation.
"During the chocolate session, endothelial function was improved, whereas
during the placebo day there were no such changes," the study concluded.
"The favorable effects of dark chocolate lasted for three hours at least."
By improving the blood vessel flexibility in apparently healthy people, dark
chocolate emerges as perhaps a power food, the scientists said.
"At this time, we do not know whether regular intake of dark chocolate or
other cocoa beverages could result in a reduction of total cardiovascular"
problems or death, the study said.
Experts warned against gorging on chocolate as a way to ward off heart
trouble, reminding that excess calories lead to weight gain, which is a
powerful trigger of heart problems. Any benefit to blood vessel flexibility
would probably be wiped out by the danger of the weight gain, they advised.
Also, while antioxidants in theory help keep the heart healthy and looked
promising in early research, recent rigorous studies investigating whether
antioxidant pills such as vitamins A, C and E ward off heart attacks have
shown them to be useless.
Dr. Michael Gibson, associate chief of cardiology at Harvard
University-linked Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, said the chocolate study
was "interesting."
"There are a few basic science reasons why this might be good, but keep in
mind that antioxidants also improved forearm blood flow but that didn't
necessarily pan out as an effective treatment," said Gibson, who was not
associated with the study.
Related
Discussion:
Get a head start on your New Years Resolution!!! (2 posts)
by Jamie Wilske - Last post on: 11-28-04 06:22
Get a head start on your new year's resolution by losing 20 lbs by the end
of this year! Do it the Herbalife way...
Check out this link http://www.herbalife.com and if you like what you see
send me and email at shapeworks@mchsi.com
I lost 8 lbs in only 10 days and my supervisor lost 20 lbs i... (Read More)
Sleep Apnea Syndrome (7 posts)
by tigferlilly@net.org.com - Last post on: 06-12-05 09:07
sleep apnea syndrome
What is the sleep apnea syndrome?
The sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by a group of sleep apnearisk factors
in one person. They include:
Central gluttony (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — mainly hig... (Read More)
Health, financial freedom-Free DVD - Don't miss out on pre-ground level (11 posts)
by zijamom - Last post on: 10-27-04 05:09
Imagine positioning yourself at the very top of Amway, Usana, Goji,
Noni, or any other of the mulit-level marketing companies that have
created hundreds of millionaires! Now you have that chance! But
only if you act now!!
Join us in this incredible pre-ground level business opportunity,
pr... (Read More)
New Diet and Nutrition Software (2 posts)
by Dave - Last post on: 07-19-05 06:04
NuTrak - Nutrition & Life Tracking Software
Unique software that goes beyond the usual food database to allow the
addition of any nutrient, herb, supplement, drug, human activity, reaction
or result. NuTrak's database includes the Life Extension Foundation dietary
supplement line.
Very flexib... (Read More)
Top
Discussions From Our Archives
OPEN LETTER TO THE FORUM
Holistic Drug and Alcohol Rehabiltation Program that Works!
Other
Discussion Categories
Diabetes Symptoms
Health Care Policy
Health Care Providers HMO
Arthritis Symptoms
Warning: fopen(http://www.tentsamerica.info/index.xml): failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/xtrack/domains/xtrack.net/public_html/xml/XmlParser.class.php on line 127
Oops!!! Unexpected Error While Reading the Feed
| 
