A new study finds that cocoa or green tea may counter the negative effects of high-fat meals that worsen during times of stress. The food chosen when feeling stressed may influence how stress impacts heart health, the researchers said. The team from the University of Birmingham, UK, found that while high-fat foods can negatively affect the function of blood vessels and oxygen reaching the brain, flavanol-rich cocoa and green tea may improve vascular function during everyday stress ( Can protect vessels). ,
“We took a group of young healthy adults and gave them as a breakfast two butter croissants with 10 grams of salted butter, 1.5 slices of cheddar cheese and 250 milliliters of whole milk and either a high-flavanol cocoa or a low-flavanol cocoa. Gave drinks,” first author Rosalind Benham, University of Birmingham, explained. “After the (eight-minute-long) rest period, we asked participants to complete a mental math test, the speed of which increased for eight minutes, alerting them if they got the wrong answer,” Benham said.
During rest periods and math tests, blood flow in the forearm, cardiovascular activity, and oxygen reaching the brain’s prefrontal cortex were measured. “We also measured vascular function using brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), which is a predictive measure for future risk of cardiovascular disease. This stress task induced significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure, consistent with stress. Similar to what you might encounter in daily life,” Benham said.
The team found that consuming fatty foods along with a low-flavanol drink when mentally stressed reduced vascular function and lasted for up to 90 minutes after the stressful event ended. The findings also showed that the high-in-flavanols cocoa drink was effective in preventing the decline in vascular function following stress and fat intake. Researchers had previously found that high-fat foods weaken the supply of oxygen to the brain during stress.
However, researchers said cocoa flavanols did not improve oxygen levels in the brain or impact one’s mood. “This research suggests that drinking or eating foods high in flavanols could be used as a strategy to reduce some of the effects of poor food choices on the vascular system. This allows us to be more mindful about what we eat during stressful times and “It may help to make more informed decisions about what to drink during periods,” said study author Caterina Rendeiro, assistant professor of nutrition science at the University of Birmingham.
