Tea and Cocoa Reduce Health Issues Caused by Sitting for Long Hours

SadaNews - A British study has found that consuming foods and beverages rich in flavanols such as tea, cocoa, apples, and berries helps protect the arteries from health issues that may arise from sitting for long hours.

Long periods of sitting have become a characteristic of modern life, with adults estimated to spend about six hours a day in a sitting position. This period of inactivity reduces blood flow and the proper functioning of the arteries.

Previous studies have shown that a mere 1% decline in arterial function, as measured by the inner layer of blood vessels (FMD), increases the risk of heart and vascular diseases by 13%.

In the study published in the Journal of Physiology, researchers tested the effect of consuming a flavanol-rich cocoa drink (695 grams) or a low-flavanol drink (5.6 grams) on forty volunteers, including twenty who had high physical fitness, before sitting for two continuous hours.

The same experiment was not conducted on women due to the hormonal changes in a woman's body during her menstrual cycle, which may affect flavanol function in the body.

The study showed that the group consuming the flavanol-rich drink did not experience a decline in the measurements of the inner layer of blood vessels in either their hands or feet, unlike the group that consumed the low-flavanol drink, who recorded a decline in vessel inner layer measurements, an increase in blood pressure, and a decrease in blood flow with reduced oxygen in the leg muscles.

The website "SciTech Daily," which specializes in scientific research, quoted Dr. Sam Lucas, a vascular specialist at the University of Birmingham in the UK, stating: "The experiment demonstrated that high fitness levels do not protect against temporary damages resulting from sitting for long hours when consuming a low-flavanol drink, whereas consuming flavanol-rich beverages reduces the harms of prolonged sitting for both fit and unfit individuals."