Who said chocolate was bad for your health? A new study reveals that drinking cocoa could speed recovery from the physiological effects of stress. Hot chocolatethus avoids turning to classic comfort foodsoften high in saturated fat and which tend to delay recovery. The magic ingredient: molecule called epicatechin.
Cocoa helps recover from stress
The research, published in the journal Food & Functionwas conducted by the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. The 23 participants consumed a high-fat meal, then one group drank a cocoa drink with high epicatechin contentand the other the same drink less dose. Both then underwent a stressful task, with regular measurement of their vascular functions.
The results reveal that people who consumed cocoa rich in epicatechin had a better recovery from blood vessel dilation. This phenomenon is due to the ability of epicatechin to increase a gas called nitric oxide. The latter, by dilating the vessels, helps to increase blood flow, and therefore to provide oxygen to the different parts of the body. This result therefore demonstrates the capacity of epicatechin to maintain a good blood circulation to alleviate stress, particularly after eating fatty foods.
Choose cocoa over fatty foods!
Conversely, researchers have also highlighted the negative effects of fatty foods on vascular function. Although comforting, they can increase risk of cardiovascular diseasessuch as hypertension, myocardial infarction or stroke. This is especially true for people facing constant stress.
The study authors also recommend other sources of molecules similar to epicatechin: two cups of green tea or 300 grams of red fruits will have similar effects to 5.5 tablespoons of cocoa used in the study. If you are in a stressful situation and you can’t do without fat, console yourself with hot chocolate, good tea or a berry dessert!
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