CHOCOLATE THERAPY –
October 29, 2025 – With the darker evenings, sitting with a mug of hot cocoa becomes rather inviting. Now scientists have found that drinking cocoa before sitting for hours helps protect the arteries, because it contains flavanols. Flavanols, which are natural compounds found in tea, berries, apples and cocoa, have been linked in studies to better heart health.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham looked at 40 healthy young men, half of whom were physically fit, and the other half less so. Each drank either a cocoa drink high in flavanols – of at least 695mg – or one with barely any (5.6mg), then sat still for two hours.
The scientists analysed the elasticity of their arteries – a sign of good blood flow, along with their blood pressure and oxygen levels in their leg muscles.
After the low-flavanol drink, both groups showed signs of reduced artery function and higher blood pressure. But the ones who had the high-flavanol cocoa showed no drop in artery performance at all.
