Pair junk food with festive hot drink to reduce the toll of extra fat on the heart, experts say READ MORE: Top nutritionists reveal the 8 foods 'pretending' to be healthy By EMILY STEARN, SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER FOR MAILONLINE Published: 11:29 GMT, 18 November 2024 | Updated: 11:34 GMT, 18 November 2024 e-mail View comments Having a hot chocolate after eating fatty comfort foods may make the meal better for your heart and stop you feeling frazzled, scientists said today. The powerful compounds lurking in chocolate — particularly dark varieties — have now been found to boost cardiovascular health even after eating high-fat food. Flavanols, as they are called, are also abundant in apples, berries and green tea.
British researchers, who tracked two dozen young adults, discovered the benefits came from consuming 695mg of flavanols in cocoa powder — roughly equivalent to six squares of high quality dark chocolate. It also prevented a temporary decline in blood vessel function, compared to low-flavanol drink options. Experts said people who were likely to reach for a fat-rich treat when stressed, or because its convenient, 'could make a real difference' to their health by adding a cup of minimally processed cocoa or green tea.
Dr Catarina Rendeiro, an assistant professor in nutritional sciences at the University of Birmingham , and study lead author said: 'We know that when people are stressed, they tend to gravitate towards high-fat foods. 'We have previously shown that fatty.
