A team of researchers in the UK bring good news for chocolate lovers: their favorite food is beneficial to health. A new study by experts at the University of Glasgow shows that a single chocolate bar has a direct effect on the brain, reducing the risk of suffering a stroke.
Several previous studies have shown that dark chocolate, eaten in moderation, can have beneficial effects on health. The latest study, which was published in the scientific journal Neurology, shows for the first time how the chocolate affects blood vessels.
Glasgow University researchers measured the speed of blood flowing through the largest artery in the brain while volunteers were eating chocolate lying on the bed. Specialists have discovered that chocolate has an effect on the level of carbon dioxide that improves the blood flow and affects individual brain cells.
“Consumption of a normal chocolate bar was associated with a change in stiffness of the blood cells. Our data is consistent with a direct effect of chocolate on the brain blood vessels,” said Matthew Walters, lead researcher and professor at Glasgow University, for The Mail on Sunday. “It raises the possibility that there is a direct effect of some component of the chocolate on blood vessels. This is plausible because of the flavonoid molecules contained in chocolate,” professor Walters, who led the study, added. “We think a reduction in stroke risk may be caused by chocolate changing how brain blood vessels behave,” said Walters.
Flavonoids, which are beneficial substances found in cocoa plants, are antioxidants that help prevent heart disease.
Experts warn that many chocolate bars contain high amounts of sugar and fat, which can cause obesity which is a risk factor for stroke. For this reason, Professor Tom Solomon, specialist in neurology at the University of Liverpool, points out that “we must look at the results of this study with caution.”
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