A cup of cocoa or green tea could protect you from the negative impacts of fatty comfort foods during times of stress, research suggests.
Small changes in food choices “could make a real difference” to the body and positively influence the impact of tension on heart health, experts added.
A cup of minimally processed cocoa or green tea would have more health benefits for people who normally reach for a fat-rich treat when stressed, they said.
Flavanols found in some foods and drinks like cocoa, green tea and apples are considered to have a range of different benefits.
The compounds are good at helping to regulate blood pressure and for protecting cardiovascular health.
Researchers found eating fatty foods with a low-flavanol drink when stressed reduced blood vessel function – and lasted for up to 90 minutes after the stressful event was over.
But having a cocoa drink high in flavanols, alongside a fatty meal, prevented the decline in blood vessel function following stress and fat consumption, according to the study published in the journal Food And Function.
Lead author Dr Catarina Rendeiro, assistant professor in nutritional sciences at the University of Birmingham, said: “We know that when people are stressed, they tend to gravitate towards high-fat foods.
“We have previously shown that fatty food can impair the body’s vascular recovery from stress.
“In this study, we wanted to see if adding a high-flavanol food to the fatty meal would alleviate the negative impact of stress in the body.”
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Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten, professor of biological psychology at the University of Birmingham, added: “Modern life is stressful and the impact of stress on our health and the economy has been well documented, so any changes we can make to protect ourselves from some of the symptoms of stress is positive.
“For those who tend to reach for a treat when stressed or depend on convenient food because they work high-pressure jobs or are time-poor, incorporating some of these small changes could make a real difference.”
In a previous study, the Birmingham researchers found high-fat foods can negatively impact the function of blood vessels and oxygen delivery to the brain, while flavanols can provide this process with protection during periods of stress.