RESEARCH FINDS CHOCOLATE CUTS THE RISK OF STROKE

Being a lover of chocolate myself this is further welcome news to endulge in something I enjoy. I've posted articles before on chocolate and the active ingredient again is flavonoids. So it's Easter Egg time of year again so go for it, it's good for you! Just remember not to go overboard though it's still high in fat and sugar. 

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ARTICLE BELOW FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Sweet! Just in time for Easter, scientists find chocolate cuts risk of stroke

New research shows that eating just a single chocolate bar has a direct effect on the brain and may cut the risk of stroke.

Previous research has shown eating dark chocolate in moderation could be good for you. But the latest study, in the journal Neurology, shows for the first time how chocolate affects blood vessels.




Research from Glasgow University shows that eating just a single chocolate bar has a direct effect on the brain and may cut the risk of stroke


Researchers at Glasgow University measured the speed of blood flowing through the biggest artery in the brain while subjects ate chocolate lying down.

They found that the chocolate had an effect on carbon dioxide levels which affected blood vessels, improved blood flow and, in turn, impacted on brain cells.


Professor Matthew Walters, who led the study, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Consumption of a normal chocolate bar was associated with a change in stiffness of the blood vessels.

'Our data is consistent with a direct effect of chocolate on the brain blood vessels.

'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.



The study found that the chocolate had an effect on carbon dioxide levels which affected blood vessels, improved blood flow and, in turn, impacted on brain cells



'We think a reduction in stroke risk may be caused by chocolate changing how brain blood vessels behave.'

The beneficial flavonoids, found in the cacao plant and others, are antioxidants that contribute to the prevention of heart disease.

However, chocolate also has a high sugar and fat content which can cause obesity – a definite risk factor for strokes.

Tom Solomon, professor of neurology at Liverpool University, said: 'We have to take the findings with caution.'

THE WONDEROUS BENEFITS OF TEA

TEA

All tea types, green, black, oolong come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The leaves are processed differently. Green tea leaves are not fermented; they are withered and steamed. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo crushing and fermenting processes. 

All teas from the Camellia plant are rich in polyphenols, antioxidants that detoxify cell-damaging free radicals in the body. Tea has about eight to 10 times the polyphenols found in fruit and vegetables 

Quercitin, kaempferol, and epigallocatechin are just three among over 4,000 compounds classified as flavonoids these are naturally occurring plant pigments, Among the many benefits attributed to flavonoids are reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and stroke. They may play a special role in protecting the brain. Flavonoids, like other antioxidants, do their work in the body by corralling cell-damaging free radicals and metallic ions. Studies have found that certain flavonoids have antihistamine, antimicrobial, memory- and even mood-enhancing properties. 

Research shows that tea is high beneficial to our health and suggests that regular tea drinkers people who drink two cups or more a day have less heart disease and stroke and recover from heart attacks faster. Tea also helps soothe stressand keep us relaxed. One British study found that people who drank black tea were able to de-stress faster than those who drank a fake tea substitute. The tea drinkers had lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone which is responsible for the detrimental effects of stress raising the blood pressure etc. A type of disease-fighting flavonoid and antioxidant, Catechins are the keys to tea's health benefits. The longer you brew the tea, the more flavonoids you'll get.

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CHOCOLATE FOR HEALTH

Now since the festive season is fast approaching we now have a good excuse to indulge in chocolate. Ideally it should be plain chocolate, which happens to be my favourite anyway! I would quite happily eat a bar of plain chocolate a day to further research!

Articles from the 'Daily Mail' below.

Sweet remedy: Chocolate can help you beat persistent coughs

• Chemical found in cocoa has been shown to help 
• Researchers recommend a bar of dark chocolate a day

Chocolate may be a remedy for the common cough, according to new research, writes Roger Dobson.

A compound in cocoa has been shown to reduce symptoms of both acute and chronic coughs.

About 300 people with a persistent cough are taking part in a clinical trial at 13 NHS hospitals where they are being given the naturally occurring chemical theobromine, derived from the raw ingredient of chocolate, twice a day for 14 days.

Chocolaide: A study shows that chocolate can reduce cough symptoms thanks to chemicals found in cocoa beans

Early indicators are that 60 per cent of patients experience some measure of relief.

Researchers say a daily bar of dark chocolate may contain enough of the active compound to have an effect on a chronic cough.

However, it is not a cure  – symptoms did return once treatment was ended.

An earlier study at the National Heart and Lung Institute showed that theobromine appears to block the action of the sensory nerves, which in turn halts the cough reflex. It was found to be more effective than widely used codeine.

Cocoa coughs: Chemical theobromine occurs naturally in cocoa and may help against persistent coughs

Everyone suffers a cough from time to time, but one in 12 Britons has a cough that interferes with activities of daily living on at least  a weekly basis.

The amount of the theobromine used in the trial was a single dose of 1,000mg. Unsweetened dark chocolate has about 450mg per ounce, sweet dark chocolate around 150mg and milk chocolate about 60mg.

Principal investigator Professor Alyn Morice, head of the Hull Cough Clinic, says: ‘This new capsule we are using seems very effective.

‘Eating a bar of dark chocolate a day which has high levels of the compound may also be effective for people with diagnosed persistent cough, although eating chocolate  on a daily basis may have other unwanted effects, including weight gain and so on.’

Chocolate? Now that is a tasty new treatment

Not such a sin: Chocolate is being hailed a superfood because of its antioxidants

Once regarded as a health sin, chocolate is now being hailed as a superfood because of the high levels of health-boosting antioxidants it contains.

Other ingredients include theobromine, which is good for the nervous system. 

A recent study at Imperial College London showed chocolate can suppress persistent coughing. Another compound, phenylethylamine, is thought to have a mood-boosting effect.

Meanwhile, antioxidants in chocolate are said to protect the skin against UV damage. 

They also boost cardio-vascular health (these health benefits all accrue from dark chocolate, as it is higher in cocoa solids).

In fact, so good is chocolate that it's no longer just a healthy indulgence - some doctors are now recommending it as a form of treatment.

Dr K.K. Atsina, formerly of the University of Ghana Medical School, has used cocoa powder 'as an adjunct to treatment of hypertension and diabetes in my clinic for a very long time'.

Another Ghanaian doctor, Professor F. Kwaku Addai, writing in the journal Medical Hypotheses, describes how he recommends two to five cups a day to help protect against malaria.

'I used to get malaria at least once a year,' he says. 'But since 2004, when my family started drinking unsweetened natural cocoa mixed with hot water, we have not had it.'

He says other doctors use it to help with everything from eyesight to asthma.

Closer to home, patients of Professor Dan Reinstein, a top laser eye surgeon at Harley Street's London Vision Clinic, are encouraged to eat 'as much as they can' 30 minutes before surgery.

'Patients who eat chocolate prior to laser surgery are less jittery, more alert and more co-operative than those who receive sedatives,' he says. 

'For example, with a relaxed, attentive patient I can perform a routine procedure in less than three minutes.

'But the same procedure can occasionally take much longer if the patient is tense and worked-up.'

The natural high many experience after eating chocolate is not, it seems, just in our minds.

Professor Donatella Lippi, a medical historian at the University of Florence in Italy, has researched the history of cocoa. 

She says: 'In the past few years, natural substances such as flavonoids - high concentrations of which are found in cocoa - have been considered as antidepressant treatments.'

Chocolate can also be used to balance low concentrations of brain chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine.

These important chemicals are both involved in mood regulation, food intake and compulsive behaviours.

Eating a moderate intake of dark chocolate is also suggested by psychiatrists because of its antidepressant-like effect.

In fact, this therapeutic use of chocolate is ages old. Professor Lippi says: 'In Europe, the relationship between chocolate and medicine dates back to Columbus's voyages to the New World. For example, in 1577, Francisco Hernandez (court physician to the king of Spain) affirmed that chocolate was used to treat liver disease.'

In a treatise published in 1662, Henry Stubbe, the personal physician to Charles II, reported that English soldiers who were in Jamaica lived on a diet of cocoa paste mixed with sugar which was then dissolved in water.

Stubbe noted that chocolate could also be used as an expectorant (which can ease respiratory difficulties), a diuretic or an aphrodisiac. It was also suitable for treating hypochondriacal melancholy.

In other words, just eating some chocolate can make you happy.

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CHOCOLATE WILL IT IMPROVE YOUR INTELLIGENCE?

In case you didn't know I adore chocolate so I will look for any excuse to eat more of it. I found this interesting article in the Daily Mail. Although it's stated, this article is a bit tongue in cheek, there are good reasons to eat chocolate, dark chocolate is especially high in iron and it's rich in flavonoids, which we know are antioxidants and fight free radicals and we all know how chocolate makes us feel good.

Does eating chocolate make you clever? New research suggests it may help you win a Nobel prize, at least...

• US research suggests the higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns
• The Swiss take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average 
• Researcher admits research is tongue-in-cheek, but maintains findings are scientifically sound 

The higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns, new research suggests

Does eating chocolate make you clever?
It seems that might well be the case after scientists in New York found the higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns.
The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is tongue-in-cheek, admits the lead author Dr. Franz Messerli.
But nonetheless, the results did show a surprisingly powerful scientific correlation between the amount of chocolate consumed in each country and the number of Nobel laureates it produced, he wrote in the journal.
The Swiss, naturally, take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average in the table (see below).
Dr Messerli, a Swiss doctor now working at Columbia University in New York, told Reuters Health: ‘I started plotting this in a hotel room, because I had nothing else to do, and I could not believe my eyes.
'All the countries lined up neatly on a graph, with higher chocolate intake tied to more laureates.'
It’s thought that eating chocolate might improve our ability to think as it is high in antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are also found in cocoa, green tea, red wine and some fruits.

Studies have suggested that flavonoids may improve thinking and reduce the risk of dementia by increasing the blood flow to the brain.
Dr Messerli wrote in the journal: ‘Since chocolate consumption has been documented to improve cognitive function, it seems most likely that in a dose-dependent way, chocolate intake provides the abundant fertile ground needed for the sprouting of Nobel laureates.’

The Swiss, naturally, take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average in the table

When it comes to chocolate, several other researchers have suggested dark varieties might benefit the brain, the heart and even help cut excess pounds.
But to produce just one more laureate, the nation would have to up its cocoa intake by a whopping 275 million pounds a year, Dr Messerli added.
He estimates that every citizen would have to eat 400 grams of chocolate a year to increase the number of Nobel laureates in a given country by one per million inhabitants, if the correlation holds true. 
And in the 'conflict of interest section' of his article, Dr Messerli does admit to daily chocolate consumption. Despite the tongue-in-cheek tone of the research, he added that he does believe chocolate has real health effects, although he warns people to stay away from the sweeter varieties and opt for dark.

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A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF CHOCOLATE WHICH I FEEL IS FLAWED

Another feature on chocolate albeit this is a negative one. We already know that chocolate makes us feel better especially in women and most women if truthful will tell you when they feel down they will reach for chocolate. However I still feel chocolate does have good health benefits, I am referring to dark chocolate here for one ounce of dark chocolate does give us our daily iron requirements as well as being rich in flavonoids which are anti oxidants. I do feel this article is somewhat misleading however and confusing because I feel its confusing the milk and sweet variety of chocolate bars, these are more associated with  the overweight and obesity. 

The experiment detailed below where they fed 'M&Ms' to rats, these are milk chocolate and sugar coated with added colouring agents. Any nutritionist will tell you what refined sugar does, whereby it creates sugar highs and lows and the low sugar levels lead to cravings. If you eat refined sugars milk chocolate bars, cakes and biscuits this leads to a huge surge in blood sugar levels giving an instant hit and surge of energy, however this surge does not last long and drops dramatically leading to craving for more and I feel this is what has happened with this experiment. 

French women are well known for their slim figures and they eat chocolate regularly however its small amounts of good plain chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa solids, this is satisfying and does not lead to the craving associated by consuming milk chocolate confectionary.

Chocolate can create same high as opium: Links found between obese people and drug addicts

• Study looked at natural brain chemical of enkephalin
• It's an endorphin with similar properties to opium
• US researchers found it surged as rats ate M&Ms
• Drug then stimulated brain area releasing chemical
• After that, number of M&Ms eaten more than doubled

It’s certainly a good excuse to have when you’re slumped on the sofa and feel like you're simply obliged to finish off that shiny tin of Quality Street.

Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium, according to a study that found amazing comparisons between obese people and drug addicts.

In the study, a natural brain chemical called enkephalin - an endorphin with similar properties to opium - surged as rats began to eat M&M chocolates.

Addictive: Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium, according to a study that found comparisons between obese people and drug addicts

When a drug was used to stimulate the dorsal neostriatum - the brain area releasing the chemical - the number of M&Ms eaten more than doubled.

In the brain, enkephalin binds to molecular ‘receptors’ sensitive to opiate chemicals to reduce pain and produce pleasurable feelings.

Previous research mostly linked the dorsal neostriatum to movement, and recent work suggested it also plays a role in reward-driven behaviour.

But study leader Dr Alexandra DiFeliceantonio said the extraordinary findings showed comparisons between and drug addicts and the obese.

Opium links: The researchers looked at the same brain area which is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes

She said: ‘This (study) means that the brain has more extensive systems to make individuals over-consume rewards than previously thought.

'The same brain area tested here is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes'

Dr Alexandra DiFeliceantonio

‘The same brain area tested here is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes.

‘It seems likely that our enkephalin findings in rats mean that this neurotransmitter may drive some forms of overconsumption and addiction in people.’

The findings of the University of Michigan researcher and her team have been published in the US journal Current Biology.

In their paper, the scientists concluded: ‘Opioid circuitry... could in this way participate in normal motivations and perhaps even in generating intense pathological levels of motivation to overconsume reward in binge eating disorders, drug addiction and related compulsive pursuits.’

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THE BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA

This is an interesting piece of research I came across in the Daily Mail about Green Tea, not surprising given that tea is rich in Flavonoids, antioxidants so fight 'Free Radicals'.

Green tea isn't just good for your heart, it's good for your brain too

• Study found that chemical properties of green tea promotes the generation of brain cells

The green tea chemical ECGC was found to boost the generation of brain cells in mice, which seemed to improve memory and learning in mice

Sipping green tea is not just good for you heart - it could boost the memory as well, say researchers.

A study from China found that the chemical properties of the healthy beverage promotes the generation of brain cells, providing benefits for memory and spatial learning.
Study leader Professor Yun Bai from the Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China, said: 'There has been plenty of scientific attention on its use in helping prevent cardiovascular diseases, but now there is emerging evidence that its chemical properties may impact cellular mechanisms in the brain.'
Professor Bai's team focused on the organic chemical EGCG that is found in green tea.
'We proposed that EGCG can improve cognitive function by impacting the generation of neuron cells, a process known as neurogenesis,' said Prof Bai.
'We focused our research on the hippocampus, the part of the brain which processes information from short-term to long-term memory.'
The team found that ECGC boosts the production of neural progenitor cells, which like stem cells can adapt into various types of cells. The team then used laboratory mice to discover if this increased cell production gave an advantage to memory or spatial learning.


'We ran tests on two groups of mice, one which had imbibed ECGC and a control group,' said Prof Bai.
'First the mice were trained for three days to find a visible platform in their maze. Then they were trained for seven days to find a hidden platform.'
The team found that the ECGC treated mice required less time to find the hidden platform. Overall the results revealed that EGCG enhances learning and memory by improving object recognition and spatial memory.
'We have shown that the organic chemical EGCG acts directly to increase the production of neural progenitor cells, both in glass tests and in mice,' concluded Prof Bai.
'This helps us to understand the potential for EGCG, and green tea which contains it, to help combat degenerative diseases and memory loss.'
The research is published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

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ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO EAT CHOCOLATE

Just to add to the other articles on the benefits to eating chocolate. Previously the benefits were attributed to eating dark chocolate, but it seems there are also benefits to eating milk as well. But lets face it folks any excuse to eat chocolate is a good one as far as I am concerned! Seriously the benefits are from Flavonoids those great antioxidants.

Links to other articles on benefits of Chocolate

Astridestella.info: JUST WHAT WE LOVE TO HEAR---CHOCOLATE ...

14 Aug 2012

The drink contained flavanols – chemicals associated with a decreased dementia risk which are found in a variety of foods, including cocoa products such as dark chocolate. The participants' diet was restricted to eliminate ...

http://www.astridestella.info/

Astridestella.info: SOME GOOD NEWS!

14 Aug 2012

It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body. Sources: Chocolate Manufacturers Association; Journal ...

http://www.astridestella.info/

Article from the Daily Mail below

Chocolate may protect the brain from stroke (and this time it's the milk variety)

• Most men in the study consumed milk chocolate, which has more sugar and fat than the dark variety
• Scientists believe protective effect comes from antioxidants called flavonoids

For every 50g per week increase in chocolate consumption, stroke risk decreased by about 14 per cent

Eating chocolate may reduce the long term risk of stroke, research has shown.
Men who consumed moderate amounts of chocolate each week were less likely to suffer a stroke over a period of 10 years than those who ate none.
The difference was small, but significant. Study participants who ate the most chocolate, equivalent to about one third of a cup of chocolate chips, reduced their stroke risk by 17 per cent. A total of 37,103 Swedish men aged 49 to 75 took part in the study.
Their diets were assessed with food questionnaires, which asked how often they ate chocolate. The men's progress was then followed for 10 years, during which researchers recorded 1,995 cases of a first stroke.
Previous studies have shown that chocolate may help prevent diabetes, control blood pressure, and protect against heart disease. Healthy antioxidant plant chemicals called flavonoids are thought to explain the health benefits.

Dr Susanna Larsson, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, who led the latest research, reported in the journal Neurology, said: 'The beneficial effect of chocolate consumption on stroke may be related to the flavonoids in chocolate.
'Flavonoids appear to be protective against cardiovascular disease through antioxidant, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties. It's also possible that flavonoids in chocolate may decrease blood concentrations of bad cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.


'Interestingly, dark chocolate has previously been associated with heart health benefits, but about 90 per cent of the chocolate intake in Sweden, including what was consumed in our study, is milk chocolate.'
The men who ate the largest quantities consumed a modest 63g of chocolate per week. This is about a third of a cup-full of chocolate chips, or just a little more than a Mars bar which weighs 58 grams.
Put into context, the 17 per cent risk reduction amounted to 12 fewer strokes per 10,000 participants over 10 years, or 100,000 "person years".
The research was followed up by a larger analysis of data from five studies in Europe and the US that included 4,260 stroke cases. This showed that people eating the most chocolate were 19 per cent less likely to have a stroke than those consuming the least.
For every increase in chocolate consumption of about 50 grams per week, stroke risk decreased by about 14 per cent.
In their paper, the scientists said further studies were needed before any recommendations could be given about chocolate consumption. They added: 'Because chocolate is high in sugar, saturated fat, and calories, it should be consumed in moderation.'

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JUST WHAT WE LOVE TO HEAR---CHOCOLATE CAN STAVE OFF DEMENTIA

Further to the last post, I saw this too in the Daily Mail today, another great reason to indulge in chocolate.

Could chocolate stave off dementia? Daily dose could help keep condition at bay

• In tests consuming cocoa every day helped improve mild cognitive impairment in the elderly
• Chocolate contains flavanols – chemicals associated with a decreased dementia risk

A daily dose of chocolate could help keep dementia and Alzheimer's at bay, a study suggests.
Researchers found that consuming cocoa every day helped improve mild cognitive impairment – a condition involving memory loss which can progress to dementia or  Alzheimer's – in elderly patients.
For the study, 90 people aged 70 or older  diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment were split into three groups of 30 and given either a high, medium or low dose of a  cocoa drink daily.

Beneficial? Researchers found that eating chocolate regularly could reduce the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's

The drink contained flavanols – chemicals associated with a decreased dementia risk which are found in a variety of foods, including cocoa products such as dark chocolate.

The participants' diet was restricted to  eliminate other sources of flavanols, such as tea or red wine.
Their cognitive function was examined using tests of factors including working memory and processing speed. 
Researchers found those who drank the high and medium doses daily had significantly better cognitive scores by the end of the eight-week study in a number of categories, including working memory.

Research: 90 people aged 70 or older diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment were split into three groups of 30 and given either a high, medium or low dose of a cocoa drink daily

Those given the higher doses of the flavanol drink improved far more than those given the lowest dose, the study, published in the journal Hypertension, found.  
Insulin resistance and blood pressure also decreased in those drinking high and medium doses of the flavanol drink. 
Doctor Giovambattista Desideri of the  University of L'Aquila in Italy, lead author of the study, said: 'This study provides encouraging evidence that consuming cocoa flavanols, as  a part of a calorie-controlled and nutritionally-balanced diet, could improve cognitive function.

Researchers found those who drank the high and medium doses daily had significantly better cognitive scores by the end of the eight-week study in a number of categories, including working memory

'Larger studies are needed to validate the findings, figure out how long the positive effects will last and determine the levels of cocoa flavanols required for benefit.'
Dr Laura Phipps, of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'Cocoa-based treatments for brain  function would likely have patients queuing out the door, but this small study of flavanols is not yet conclusive.'

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