• If you eat fatty comfort foods during stressful times, drinking cocoa may help you bounce back more quickly from the effects of stress, a new study suggests.
• Stress takes a toll on the body, at least temporarily, and eating fatty foods before or during stress may cause the body to require more time to recover.
• Cocoa contains flavonoids that appear to protect vascular function from temporary impairment caused by stress, which can result in high blood pressure and other issues.
Drinking cocoa may help us recover more quickly from the physiological effects of stress, despite high-fat comfort foods we may turn to in such times. This is according to a new study from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
Cocoa contains a flavanol, epicatechin, that relaxes blood vessels’ endothelial cell layer, improving their function and addressing elevated blood pressure, which is a common reaction to stress.
Why do fatty foods make stress worse? While high-fat foods may be tasty and comforting, the researchers’ previous work strongly suggests that if a person is looking to recover from the ill effects of stress, it is actually best to avoid such food items.
This is especially true for people who have stressful jobs or who experience stress regularly.
Why cocoa flavanols may offset the impact of stress. According to the study’s author, it is not entirely clear why fat consumption delays the recovery of flow-mediated dilation following mental stress, although there is evidence of increased triglycerides and C-reactive protein levels in blood several hours after consuming fatty foods.
Elevated levels of these reduce endothelium-derived nitric oxide, impairing endothelial function. This may be why cocoa helps.
Cocoa, green tea, and berries may all help counteract stress. The researchers found, however, that cocoa appeared to have no beneficial effect on the restriction of brain oxygenation due to stress.
“Stress-induced changes in brain blood flow could result in cognitive changes such as difficulty concentrating, difficulty in memory, impaired decision-making, or even changes in mood,” a lead researcher explained.
Even so, the study’s findings regarding cocoa are welcome.
The good news is that, when you’re stressed, if you can’t help but reach for the fatty food, by adding a healthy flavanol rich food to that meal, you can minimize the effects of stress and fat combined in vascular function.
Don’t have any cocoa (or dark chocolate) on hand? Two cups of green tea or a handful of blueberries offer similar protection. But researchers stress that the best approach remains avoiding fatty comfort foods during stressful times—they can trigger inflammation and hormones that may damage your heart.
The researchers wouldn’t encourage people to eat the fatty foods in the context of stress to start with, but in situations in which it happens, you have an additional dietary strategy that you can use to mitigate those effects.
Source: Excerpted from the article at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/craving-fatty-foods-when-stressed-cocoa-may-offset-impact
