Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Remembering Dr. DeBakey - Houston Chronicle
 BBC News | Remembering Dr. DeBakey Houston Chronicle - Betsy Ross sewed liberty and a legendary doctor, Michael DeBakey, sewed life. (Please see "DR. MICHAEL DeBAKEY 1908-2008 / A heartfelt loss for Houston and medicine / Father of modern heart surgery who put city on the medical map dies just shy of 100th ... Famous Cardiovascular Surgeon Michael DeBakey Passes Away Heart surgery pioneer DeBakey dies at 99 |
Two recent studies found that cocoa contains chemicals called flavan-3-ols, which have been buy bulk shark cartilage powder to lowering blood pressure and increasing function of the blood vessels cells. By consequence, drinking or eating cocoa not only lowers blood pressure, but also diminishes the risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly men, helping them live longer.
Researchers concluded that cocoa is a rich source of antioxidants, therefore its action may also have a positive effect to other disease that are linked to oxidative stress (e.g. pulmonary diseases and certain types of cancer).
The team studied 470 men aged over 65 and asked them questions about their daily intake of cocoa. Based on over 15 year examination of cocoa's relationship to cardiovascular health within this group, this research team found that men who consumed cocoa regularly had considerable lower blood pressure than those who did not. On the other hand, those men with highest cocoa consumption were at half risk to die from cardiovascular disease in comparison with the others. More than that, their risk remained lower and related to smoking habits, weight, calorie intake, weight, physical activity levels, alcohol consumption and other factors.
The conclusion was that high cocoa and chocolate consumption makes men less likely to die of any cause.
The problem is cocoa is rarely tolerable in large amounts and therefore the suggested therapeutic amount is about 100g of dark chocolate per day.
Valerian D is a freelance writer interested in issues such as nutrition and diets.
