A well -known Anglo -Saxon saying that an apple per day keeps doctors at bay. The nutrients of these fruits are undoubtedly a good way to prevent in the field of health. However, the healthy compounds we find in fruits such as apple or grapes are not their exclusive heritage of these. Some can also find them in tastier foods such as tea or chocolate.
Flavanoles This is the case of the flavanoles (or flavan-3-tools), some compounds that, as a study has just verified, They can help us to keep our blood pressure under control. The study suggests that foods rich in these compounds, such as tea, chocolate, and fruits such as apple and grapes can help us reduce our blood pressure and with it our cardiovascular health.
“The findings are hopeful for those who seek accessible ways to manage their blood pressure and support their cardiac health through enjoyable changes. Incorporating small amounts of foods commonly consumed, such as tea, apples, dark chocolate, or cocoa powder in a balanced diet can provide beneficial amounts of flavan-3-tools,” stood out in a press release Christian Heiss, co -author of the study.
This last point is important, a balanced diet is always key when taking the nutritional advantages of any food. As Heiss himself clarifies, this type of dietary changes never serve as replacement for drugs, interventions and treatments prescribed by health professionals. These foods can be considered as an additional source of Flavanoles, but it may not be the main one.
Old acquaintances. Flavanoles are old acquaintances for nutrition experts. These compounds are related to the color of some foods of plant origin, but throughout the last decades we have been detecting possible benefits of these compounds in people’s health.
A decade ago, for example, it was observed Thanks to a study with mice that these compounds could delay the progression of type 2 diabetes. Other studies They have detected a positive effect of these compounds About memorythat It could be mediated for its positive effect on blood circulation.
75 years of research. The new study Show the results of a review of scientific and subsequent meta -analysis literature. The team compiled randomized essays published between 1946 and 2024, in which the effects on the blood pressure of rich foods in flanks and supplements of these compounds were tested.
From these analyzes, the team concluded that foods rich in Flavenoles “considerably” high blood pressure, which supports its use in cardiovascular prevention. These foods “should be considered as effective components of interventions (based on healthy habits) to reduce blood pressure and cardiovascular prevention,” The team points out.
The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
A grain of sand. Nutrition is a complex science and that is why we must take into account very different considerations. For example, that a food is rich in a certain compound does not always mean that its consumption will allow us to reach the amounts that we require from the nutrient.
It is also important to know if there are other nutrients or compounds that may affect us. For example, both black chocolate and milk chocolate can contribute to us Flavenoles, but the second probably also gives us excessive amounts of sugar that counteract the positive impact of these compounds.
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Image | Maryam Nemati
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