A new study found that cocoa or green tea It may help fight the negative effects of high-fat meals that become worse during times of stress. This study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK. The food chosen when feeling stressed may influence how stress impacts heart health, the researchers said.

The team revealed that while high-fat foods can negatively impact the function of blood vessels and oxygen reaching the brain, flavanol-rich cocoa and green tea protect vascular function (vessels) during everyday stress. Can do.

Rosalind Benham of the University of Birmingham and first author said, “We took a group of young healthy adults and gave them two butter croissants with 10 g of salted butter, 1.5 slices of cheddar cheese and 250 ml of whole milk as a breakfast and either High-flavanol cocoa or low-flavanol cocoa drinks.

“After the (eight-minute-long) rest period, we asked participants to complete a mental math test that increased in speed 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 heart disease,” Benham said. This stress task caused a significant increase in heart rate and blood pressure, similar to stress you might encounter in daily life.”

The study 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. It 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, cocoa flavanols did not improve oxygen levels in the brain or affect one’s mood, the researchers said. “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,” said study author Catarina Rendeiro, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Birmingham. Can be done.” On the nervous system. This can help us make more informed decisions about what we eat and drink during stressful periods.

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