To promote heart health, drink this if you don't exercise.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: A new study has found that drinking cocoa can protect physically inactive men from heart disease. Sitting for long periods, whether at a desk or in a car, can cause heart problems because it reduces blood flow to the arteries, which can put people at risk of heart disease and stroke. But the new study concluded that drinking cocoa before sitting for hours helps protect the arteries, due to its content of flavanol compounds, according to the British newspaper "The Independent." Studies have previously shown a link between flavanols, natural compounds found in tea, berries, apples, and cocoa, and improved heart health. Researchers at the University of Birmingham conducted a study on 40 healthy young men, half of whom were physically fit and the other half less fit. Each of them drank either a cocoa drink rich in flavanols - at least 695 mg - or a drink containing a very small percentage of these compounds, 5.6 mg, and then sat still for two hours. The researchers analyzed the elasticity of the participants' arteries, a sign of good blood flow, along with analyzing blood pressure and oxygen levels in their leg muscles. The group that consumed a drink containing a very small percentage of flavanols showed signs of impaired arterial function and high blood pressure. The group that consumed cocoa rich in flavanols showed no decrease in arterial performance. The study, published in the Journal of Physiology, stated that this is the first time it has been proven that flavanols are able to stop the relaxation of blood vessels resulting from sitting for long periods. Their study focused on men only, as the researchers indicated that hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle may affect how flavanols work in women, and they wanted to study this in a future experiment. Dr. Catarina Rendeiro, from the University of Birmingham, said: "Our study shows that eating foods and drinks rich in flavanols during periods of sitting is a good way to reduce some of the effects of inactivity on the vascular system." Flavanols are known to contain a large amount of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to cocoa, flavanols are abundant in green and red tea, apples, pears, berries, and nuts.