Chocolate Helps aging blood vessels

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:03 pm

Got this from www.webmd.com

Chocolate May Help Aging Blood Vessels

Flavonol-Rich Cocoa May Improve Blood Vessel Function By Jennifer Warner

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

on Friday, August 04, 200

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Aug. 4, 2006 -- Getting your chocolate fix may actually help fix agingaging blood vessels, according to a new study.

Researchers found adults who drank a specially processed cocoa beverage rich in flavonols for four to six days improved their blood vessel function, and older adults appeared to benefit the most.

"Aging is typically associated with deterioration in vessel health, specifically related to function of the critical inner lining, or endothelium," says researcher Naomi Fisher, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in a news release. "Our findings demonstrate that consumption of this flavonol-rich cocoa can improve the function of blood vessels in a healthy elderly population."

Flavonols are a class of antioxidants found in plant-based foods and beverages -- such as cocoa, wine, and tea -- which have been increasingly linked to heart benefits.

Chocolate's Good for the Heart

In the study, published in the Journal of Hypertension, researchers had 15 healthy adults under age 50 and 19 healthy adults over 50 drink a specially made flavonol-rich cocoa every day for four to six days.

The cocoa beverage was made with Mars Cocoapro, which is a process that helps retain the flavonols naturally found in cocoa beans. Mars Inc. provided the cocoa beverage and also provided partial funding for the study.

Before and after the study, researchers measured the participants' blood vessel function.

The results showed blood vessel function improved among both younger and older adults after the cocoa phase. But these improvements were more pronounced in the older group.

Researchers say the findings agree with previous studies that suggest flavonols found in cocoa appear to benefit blood vessel function by influencing the body's production of nitric oxide, which helps regulate blood vessel tone.

But before you reach for that chocolate bar, experts say the flavonol-rich cocoa products used in these studies should not be confused with commercially available snacks that contain many calories but are low in natural cocoa and flavonols

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:04 pm

Knew chocolate was good for me!:)

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:15 pm

For some reason I thought of Chocoholic when I read that article.

chocoholic · Post by **chocoholic** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:28 pm

Marie5656 wrote: For some reason I thought of Chocoholic when I read that article.

Did some-one mention my name?

Oh Marie - I like the things you find that just reinforce the reasons why I know chocolate is SO good for me!:D

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:30 pm

chocoholic wrote: Did some-one mention my name?

Oh Marie - I like the things you find that just reinforce the reasons why I know chocolate is SO good for me!:D

Isn't that what friends are for?

jana fraser · Post by **jana fraser** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:54 am

This is great news. Now if I can only read, the beneficial effects are even better by washing it down with a glass of white wine than it will be even better news!:-6

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:08 am

jana fraser wrote: This is great news. Now if I can only read, the beneficial effects are even better by washing it down with a glass of white wine than it will be even better news!:-6

Go with red wine. The French are pretty healthy and they drink lots of red wine!!:D