Posts Tagged Flavanols

Chocolate Is Good For You!

Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for you. Under certain circumstances.

Katherine Tallmadge, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says, in the February 9, 2005, WASHINGTON POST, that “cacao, or cocoa beans, contain ‘flavanols,’ naturally occurring plant compounds also found in tea, red wine, and apples. Their properties have been studied as heart disease inhibitors.”

Carl L. Keen, chair of the department of nutrition at University of California, Davis, states in the same article that “the flavanols in cocoa help maintain a healthy vascular system. They reduce blood clotting — an aspirin like effect — reduce oxidative damage and improve blood flow.”

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Cocoa May Lower Blood Pressure

A new home remedy for lowering blood pressure may be to eat cocoa daily! Harvard professor Norman Hollenberg has found evidence that cocoa rich in flavanols, antioxidant compounds found in cocoa beans, improves blood flow which may help people fighting a range of diseases, including hypertension. (Cromie)

His discovery began as a study into the genetics of a small, isolated Caribbean Indian tribe in which hypertension was virtually nonexistent. He quickly found that their resistance was not genetic, as tribe members who had integrated themselves into other societies no longer had the same resistance to high blood pressure. Hollenberg decided to study the lifestyle of the Kuna tribe, “The most outstanding finding was the fact that most them consume cocoa as their major drink and do so every day,” according to Hollenberg, “Many Kuna, in that hot and humid climate, probably drink more than five cups per day.” (Cromie)

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How Can Cacao Help With Diabetes

“Numerous studies indicate that flavanols may exert significant vascular protection because of their antioxidant properties and increased nitric oxide bioavailability,” writes Davide Grassi, from the University of L’Aquila in Italy, and colleagues. “In turn, nitric oxide bioavailability deeply influences insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and vascular tone. Thus, flavanols may also exert positive metabolic and pressor effects.”
A trial and crossover trial had interesting results

Important information shows effects on insulin, depending upon the flavonoid content of the chocolate

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