Sitting is often called the new smoking because of its negative health benefits. For the first time, cocoa’s flavanols have been shown to block its harmful effects on blood vessels, according to British researchers.
In an age where we spend more time sitting than ever before, the negative effects of sitting posture continue to become more evident. For example, one study found that every two hours increased was spent sitting and watching TV. The risk of obesity increased by 23% and the risk of diabetes increased by 14%.. Another study found that for each hour of sitting, Increased risk of developing sarcopenia. – Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength – 33%. Additional studies have also shown how sitting can help. Causes neck, back, and shoulder pain.
So sitting a lot is clearly not good for us. But a new study offers desk jockeys and couch-bound Netflix addicts some hope in the form of cocoa.
One of the reasons sitting is bad for us is because it limits the functioning of our vascular system. Even small impairments in that function can increase your risk of major cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke.
Because previous research had shown that compounds known as flavanols may have protective effects on the cardiovascular system, researchers at the University of Birmingham, England, wanted to see if flavanols could have a direct effect on blood vessels during sitting.
So they took 40 healthy young adults between the ages of 18 and 45. Twenty people were considered “high fit” based on measurements of maximal oxygen consumption, or VO2 peak, and the remaining 20 were considered “low fit”, based on health issues and low VO2 peak.
The researchers then divided the groups further and gave half of the fit group a high-flavanol cocoa drink and the other half a low-flavanol cocoa drink. They did the same in the low-fit group. Then they sat them on chairs and made them sit for two hours.
Flavanols than fitness
Next, the researchers measured vascular function in all of the participants’ arms and legs using a method called brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD).
They found that in both the high and low fitness groups, people who drank a high-flavanol cocoa beverage containing 695 mg of total flavanols did not show a decrease in FMD in the arteries of the arms and legs. Two groups of people who drank low-flavanol beverages, which contained only 5.6 mg of flavanols per drink, showed decreased FMD in the arteries of the arms and legs, as well as higher diastolic blood pressure levels and decreased blood flow, which reduces muscle oxygenation.
“Our experiments show that even high levels of fitness cannot prevent the temporary impairment of vascular function caused by sitting when drinking only low-flavanol cocoa,” says study co-author Sam Lucas. “Importantly, after drinking the beverage high in flavanols, the FMD of both healthy and less healthy participants remained the same as before sitting for two hours.”
Researchers say this is the first time that consumption of flavanols has been shown to have an artery-protecting effect regardless of baseline fitness.
If cocoa isn’t your, um, cup of tea, you can definitely get flavanols elsewhere. Apples, plums, strawberries, nuts, and green and black tea are all good sources of this compound, says study co-author Alessio Daniele. Red wine provides this, as do kale, tomatoes, and peaches.
“Given how common a sedentary lifestyle has become and the increased risk for vascular health, using foods and drinks rich in flavanols, especially when combined with short walks or reducing periods of inactivity by standing, may be a good way to improve long-term health, regardless of an individual’s fitness level,” concluded study co-author Catarina Rendeiro.
This work was published in . journal of physiology.
source: University of Birmingham
