Chocolate is a delicious guilty pleasure for most, and medical experts have established that dark chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants that helps lower blood pressure. But now scientists have taken the chocolate health craze to the supplement level; they’ve developed a pill made entirely from chocolate that cuts the risk of heart attack, stroke and dementia.
Currently available in the UK, a pill called Blood Flow+ is a new polyphenol product made entirely of pure cocoa flavanols. Cocoa flavanols assist the body’s ability to transport oxygen and nutrients, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Research supplied by The Royal Society of Chemistry also found that flavonoid extract triggers the relaxation of the arterial wall muscles by helping produce nitric oxide. Additionally, flavanols lower cholesterol and assist with blood flow to the brain because they function as antihypertensive, which means they treat hypertension and complications of high blood pressure — like stroke. Blood Flow+ vastly improves the health of dementia patients because the pill also helps to enhance memory.
“We support the huge amount of research [that] has gone into Blood Flow+,” says Dr. Alf Lindberg, adviser for Cambridge Neutraceutical, which developed the pill. “And we are delighted it is the first cocoa flavanol product officially allowed to claim it benefits heart health. Maintaining the elasticity of blood vessels is very important.”
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Made by Future You’s Coco Activ, Blood Flow+ is a condensed form of pure chocolate flavonoid extract. Taking a dose is equivalent to 400g of dark chocolate, which, if you tried consuming that amount of chocolate candy, would translate to 2,500 calories or 329 percent of an adult’s daily fat intake. So a traditional chocolate binge to get the same amount of chocolate flavonoid wouldn’t work because it isn’t healthy and would most likely make you sick. The pills are also the ideal supplement because eating pure cocoa isn’t as tasty as it sounds.
“You have to mask the taste of pure cocoa because it is so bitter it’s unbearable,” says Ian Macdonald, professor of Metabolic Physiology at Nottingham University.
Many individuals can gleam the health benefits of Blood Flow+. It can work well for those prone to dementia as well as anyone who has heart or cholesterol challenges.
“We believe this is the way forward. There are powerful compounds in many natural nutrients that could help maintain the health of everyone,” says Dr. Lindberg.
Blood Flow+ is currently available through the brand’s website. It’s sold in a 28-day packet and costs $20-$31 dollars depending whether you opt for a subscription, which gives you a lower rate and also tracks how you use the product.
Related: More Mushrooms in Your Diet May Help to Prevent Alzheimer’s
Ronke Idowu Reeves is a writer and journalist who hails from Brooklyn, NY. Her news and entertainment stories have appeared on WABC-TV-New York, Fox News Channel, VH1, BET.com plus in Sundance Film Festival’s Sundance Daily Insider and People Magazine.
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