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Friday, July 19, 2013

Cocoa consumption and type 2 diabetes

Do you have type 2 diabetes? Then there's a good chance you may have, or develop, impaired blood vessel function. So why not reach for some delectable, dark chocolate? It can help! 

Recent research has found further evidence that the flavanols in cocoa (no, flavanols don't "flavor" the chocolate–they're beneficial phytochemicals) have a beneficial effect on the FMD of your blood vessels. FMD stands for flow-mediated dilation, and measures the ability of your blood vessels to relax and just let things, well, go with the flow. The researchers compared diabetic people, all on medication, drinking cocoa beverages with different flavanol levels. Those consuming more flavanols had larger increases in FMD. 

Remember, some chocolate and cocoa processing removes flavanols, so go with cocoa powder that is not Dutched when you put it into recipes

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