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	Eating Dark Chocolate To Relax Blood Vessels

Consuming dark chocolate can increase the flexibility of the blood vessels, thus improving the working of essential endothelial cells lining the inner walls of blood vessels, as recent U.S. study suggests.

Cocoa has plenty of antioxidant compounds known as flavonoids that are also present in fruits and vegetables, wine and green tea. Research indicates eating foods high in flavonoids can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study carried out by researchers at the Yale Prevention Research Center in Connecticut involved 45 healthy people with a body mass index (BMI) in the range of 25-35. BMI measures body fat according to height and weight. A BMI calculation of 25-29.9 shows overweight, and anything above shows obesity.

The participants were separated in 3 groups that consumed either 8 ounces of cocoa without sugar, cocoa with sugar, or a placebo. The participants underwent endothelial function testing for 6 weeks. It was carried out by using high frequency ultrasound to
compute the capacity of the brachial artery (artery extending from the shoulder to the elbow) to relax and expand so as to handle higher blood flow. This test is known as flow mediated dilation (FMD).

The study observed that FMD scores increased 2.4% in the group that ate cocoa with no sugar, as against 1.5% in the group that consumed cocoa with sugar. The group that ate the placebo showed a 0.8% reduction in FMD.

Dr. Valentine Yanchou Njike, the co-author of this study said, that the group of healthy adults with BMI in range of 25-35, eating dark chocolate for some time was proved to dramatically enhance endothelial function, making the tem think that more benefit can be observed in a long-term, randomized clinical trial.

But Njike maintains that though the findings from this study do not advocate that people should begin consuming more chocolate in their daily routine, it does imply that we can closely look at how dark chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods may provide cardiovascular advantages.

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