I cannot resist a story that tells me that chocolate is healthy or good for me. I don't care how premature the research is or how farfetched I just like to know that when I eat chocolate, which I LOVE to do, that in some small way I'm treating my body to something healthy. Here's a story that adds to my arsenal of chocolate delusions.
Japanese researchers found that flavonoid-rich dark chocolate improved coronary blood flow.
A Japanese study looked at what's known as coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), an indicator of the ability of the coronary arteries to dilate and allow more blood flow in response to medications.
The two-week trial included 39 healthy adults, average age 29, who ate either 550 milligrams per day of dark chocolate versus white chocolate with no flavonoids.
The researchers used Doppler echocardiography to assess CFVR at the start and end of the study. They also measured the participants' blood pressure, blood lipids and two markers of oxidative stress.
Participants who ate dark chocolate showed significantly improved CFVR after two weeks, while those who ate white chocolate showed no change, the study found.
"Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate intake had acute effects in improving coronary function in healthy adults, as compared to non-flavonoid white chocolate, independent of changes in oxidative stress parameters, blood pressure and lipid profile," wrote the researchers from Chiba University.
However, they noted that difficulties in blinding (preventing participants from knowing which kind of chocolate they were eating) may have affected the results.
As Martha is fond of saying "And that's a good thing!!!!!"
[Source: MedlinePlus]
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