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Eating dark chocolate helps over-60s with artery problems in their legs walk longer and faster, study finds
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Over-60s with peripheral artery disease (PAD) could walk a little longer and farther two hours after eating dark chocolate Photo: ALAMY
12:03AM BST 03 Jul 2014
Eating dark chocolate helps older people with artery problems in their legs to walk better, a pilot study suggests.
Researchers found that over-60s with peripheral artery disease (PAD) could walk a little longer and farther two hours after eating dark chocolate.
The disease causes a narrowing of the peripheral arteries to the legs, and can also affect the stomach, arms, and head. Reduced blood flow leads to pain, cramping or fatigue in the legs and hips while walking.
In the study of PAD patients, 14 men and six women aged 60 to 78 were able to walk better unassisted after eating dark chocolate, while milk chocolate made no difference. The researchers, whose findings are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggested that compounds found in cocoa, known as polyphenols, could reduce tissue damage, and improve blood flow in peripheral arteries.
The patients were tested on a treadmill in the morning and again two hours after eating 40g (1.4oz) of chocolate on separate days. The dark chocolate in the study had a cocoa content of more than 85 per cent, making it rich in polyphenols. The milk chocolate, with a cocoa content below 30 per cent, had far fewer polyphenols.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/10942402/Why-a-bar-of-dark-chocolate-could-put-a-spring-in-your-step.html
