Stressed? Cocoa’s got your back (and your heart)
It might protect your blood vessels when stress leads to comfort eating. Stressed and craving comfort food? Cocoa could help When stress strikes, many of us reach for fatty comfort foods. Now, scientists at the University of Birmingham have discovered a potential ally in managing the aftermath: cocoa . Their research reveals that drinking cocoa before consuming high fat foods helps our bodies bounce back more quickly from stress's effects on blood vessels. The key is epicatechin, a compound in cocoa that increases nitric oxide, helping blood vessels relax and function better when stress and fatty foods would otherwise impair them. "The good news is that, when you're stressed, if you can't help but reach for the fatty food, by adding a healthy flavanol-rich food to that meal, you can minimize the effects of stress and fat combined in vascular function