‘Chocolate pill’ for blood flow
AGROUND- BREAKING new pill that helps maintain healthy blood flow and boosts blood vessel flexibility is now available in the UK — and it’s made from the same cocoa flavanols found in chocolate.
The ‘chocolate pill’ is the first of its kind in the world and is designed to help people with blood flow, which promotes good circulation and heart health.
Dubbed the ‘chocolate pill’ by the national media, it was launched last month and sent the internet into a frenzy with articles appearing on major news websites.
The ‘chocolate pill’ has been officially recognised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), following studies which showed that highly purified cocoa flavanols contribute to the flexibility of blood vessels and help to maintain healthy blood flow.
To obtain the same amount of cocoa flavanols found in a daily dose, you would need to gorge on 400g of a highquality cocoa chocolate every day, which is equivalent to 2,429 calories and 329 per cent of the daily recommended allowance of fat. Research has shown that flavanols assist the production of nitric oxide, which in turn triggers the arterial wall muscles to relax.
The findings have convinced the EFSA to push ahead with awarding the supplement a coveted seal of approval for a product health claim supported by new science.
‘We believe this is the way forward,’ says Dr. Alf Lindberg, former secretary to the committee of the Nobel prize for medicine, and now an advisor to the Cambridge-based research company that makes the supplement.
‘New analysis is showing there are powerful compounds in many natural nutrients that could help maintain the health of everyone.
‘ We support the huge amount of research that has gone into the supplement and we are delighted that it is the first cocoa flavanol product officially allowed to claim it benefits blood vessel elasticity.
‘Maintaining the elasticity of blood vessels is very important. Even slightly elevated blood pressure in midlife is linked to increased health risks.’
Cocoa flavanols are also being studied by American government scientists in the first long-term flavanol project.
A five-year programme to track the health of 18,000 men and women aged over 60 is expected to show health benefits linked to improved blood flow in people who are taking a cocoa flavanol supplement.