Khaberni - A British study concluded that consuming foods and beverages rich in flavanol such as tea, cocoa, apples, and berries helps protect the arteries from health issues that may stem from sitting for long hours.
Sitting for long hours has become a characteristic of modern life, where adults spend an estimated six hours a day sitting. This period of inactivity reduces blood flow and negatively affects the proper functioning of the arteries.
Previous studies have shown that a mere 1 percent decline in artery function, according to measurements of the vascular inner lining (FMD), increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 13%.
As part of the study published in the scientific journal Journal of Physiology, researchers tested the effect of consuming a cocoa drink rich in flavanol (695 grams) or a low-flavanol drink (5.6 grams) on forty volunteers, including twenty with high physical fitness, before sitting for two consecutive hours.
The same experiment was not conducted on women, as hormonal changes in a woman's body during the menstrual period could affect the function of flavanol in the body.
The study revealed that the group that consumed the flavanol-rich drink did not experience a decline in the measurements of the vascular inner lining either in the hands or feet, unlike the group that consumed the low-flavanol drink, which registered a decline in the measurements of the inner lining, an increase in blood pressure, and a reduction in blood flow rate with a lack of oxygen in the leg muscles.
The website “SciTech Daily”, specializing in scientific research, quoted Dr. Sam Lucas, a specialist in cerebral vessels at the University of Birmingham in the UK, saying: "The experiment proved that a high level of fitness does not protect from the temporary damages that result from sitting for long hours if consuming a low-flavanol drink, whereas consuming drinks rich in flavanol reduces the damages of sitting for a long period whether for those with high physical fitness or not."
