A STEAMING mug of a soothing festive drink could protect your heart from the damage done by fatty comfort foods we gorge on when stressed, new research suggests.
What we eat when we’re under strain can influence how much stress affects our heart health, experts say.
1
But now a small study has found that sipping on hot chocolate could temper some of this impact.
Cocoa – the key ingredient in chocolate – is particularly high in flavanols.
These are compounds found in some foods and drinks, like apples and tea, thought to have a range of health benefits such as regulating blood pressure and protecting cardiovascular health.
If you tend to reach for fatty treats for a quick fix or to combat stress, adding a cup of minimally processed cocoa “could make a real difference” to your health, researchers said.
Read more on heart health
A cup of green tea – also rich in flavonols – could have similar benefits.
Dr Catarina Rendeiro, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor in nutritional sciences at the University of Birmingham, said: “We know that when people are stressed, they tend to gravitate towards high-fat foods.
“We have previously shown that fatty food can impair the body’s vascular recovery from stress.
“In this study, we wanted to see if adding a high-flavanol food to the fatty meal would alleviate the negative impact of stress in the body.”
Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten, professor of biological psychology at the University of Birmingham, added: “Modern life is stressful and the impact of stress on our health and the economy has been well documented, so any changes we can make to protect ourselves from some of the symptoms of stress is positive.
“For those who tend to reach for a treat when stressed or depend on convenient food because they work high-pressure jobs or are time-poor, incorporating some of these small changes could make a real difference.”
In a previous study, the Birmingham researchers found that high-fat foods can negatively affect the function of blood vessels and oxygen delivery to the brain, while flavanols can protect this function during periods of everyday stress.
Dr Rendeiro said: “This research shows that drinking or eating a food high in flavanols can be used as a strategy to mitigate some of the impact of poorer food choices on the vascular system.
“This can help us make more informed decisions about what we eat and drink during stressful periods.”
For the study, researchers gave 23 healthy adults two butter croissants with 10g salted butter, 1.5 slices of cheddar cheese and 250ml whole milk for breakfast.
The best and worst foods for your heart
Worst foods for your heart
Eating an unhealthy diet that’s high in fat can cause atherosclerosis – the buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries – and increase your risk of a heart attack.
It’s advised that you avoid foods high in saturated fat, including:
- Pies
- Fried foods
- Sausages and fatty cuts of meat
- Butter
- Ghee
- Lard
- Cream
- Hard cheese
- Cakes and biscuits
- Foods that contain coconut or palm oil
Best foods for your heart
You should aim to follow a Mediterranean-style diet to protect your heart health.
This means eating more wholegrain bread, rice and pasta, and fruit, vegetables and fish, and less meat.
Replace butter and cheese with products based on vegetable and plant oil, such as olive oil.
Oily fish, such as herring, sardines and salmon, can form part of a Mediterranean-style diet.
Also, taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements, or eating foods fortified with omega-3 fatty acids, has not been found to help prevent another heart attack.
Never take a food supplement without first consulting a GP.
Some supplements, such as beta-carotene, are potentially harmful.
Dr Gosia Wamil, a consultant cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, tells Sun Health: “Eating various fruits and vegetables is good for your heart.
“They are high in dietary fibre, which can help reduce cholesterol absorption in your bloodstream.
“Whole grains like oats, barley, wholewheat bread, and brown rice contain soluble fibre, which has been shown to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels.
“Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and seeds like flaxseeds and chia seeds are high in plant-based proteins, fibre and healthy fats.
“When eaten in moderation, they can help improve cholesterol levels.”
This fatty meal was combined with either a high-flavanol cocoa or a low-flavanol cocoa drink.
After an eight-minute rest period, the group was asked to complete an eight-minute long mental maths test, which increased in speed and alerted them when they got an answer wrong.
During the rest and test, scientists measured blood flow in participants’ forearms, as well as their heart activity and oxygen levels in their body.
They found that the stressful task caused significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure – similar to the stress that may be encountered in daily life.
The researchers also observed that participants who sipped on a low-flavonol drink with their fatty breakfast had reduced blood vessel function when stressed.
This lasted up to 90 minutes after the stressful event was over.
But the cocoa drink high in flavanols prevented the decline in blood vessel function following stress and fat consumption, the study published in the journal Food And Function found.
Experts advised you look for minimally processed cocoa powder in the supermarkets if you’re mixing yourself a festive drink this Christmas.
If hot cocoa isn’t your beverage of choice, there are other ways you can get a higher dose of flavanols, such as green tea, black tea and berries.
It comes after scientists warned that cow’s milk could trigger harmful inflammation and cell damage, increasing the risk of fatal heart attacks – especially in women.
