Highlights
- Blood Flow + is made out of chocolate and is a potent cocoa flavanol extract.
- Flavanols assist in the production of nitric oxide which in turn trigger the arterial wall muscles to relax.
- Reducing blood pressure which is due to vascular stiffness can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) accepted it improved blood flow and the transference of oxygen and nutrients to the body.
Dr Alf Lindberg, advisor of Cambridge Nutraceuticals, a research company, said, “We support the huge amount of research has gone into Blood Flow+ and we are delighted that it is the first cocoa flavanol product officially allowed to claim it benefits heart health.”
“Maintaining the elasticity of blood vessels is very important. Even slightly elevated blood pressure in midlife is linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.”
Cocoa flavanols and some other dietary polyphenols help in reducing blood pressure.
US government scientists are also currently studying the benefits of cocoa flavanols, which are believed to improve blood vessel elasticity by 23 percent.
Catherin Kwik-Uribe, Global research director of Mars Symboscience, said, “We are now primarily investigating the cardiovascular effects of flavanols in an older population of men and women, but the results will not be available until 2020.”
Ian Macdonald, professor of metabolic physiology at Nottingham University, warned that eating dark chocolate would not provide the same intake.
Professor Macdonald said, “You have to mask the taste of pure cocoa because it is so bitter it’s unbearable.”
Source-Medindia