SNF Brain Stroke Samachar-464 Dark Chocolate Consumption & Stroke Protection

[SN Foundation]

Regular consumption of dark chocolate confers stroke protection

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Courtesy: www.newsfix.ca, Dec 01, 2013

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Regularly eating dark chocolate could prove to be beneficial for your brain after a study revealed that it contains a compound that increases the frequency of cellular signals that have been known to prevent brain damage after a stroke.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US conducted the study by giving a group of mice a small dose of epicatechin. Ninety minutes later, the researchers cut off supply to the brains of the mice and thereby inducing ischemic stroke in the animals.

After some time, the researchers found that those mice that had been given epicatechin were affected less severely from brain damage compared to others.

“Animals that had preventively ingested the epicatechin suffered significantly less brain damage than the ones that had not been given the compound”, Associate Professor Sylvain Dore said. The details are published in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism.

Dark chocolate contains a high amount of cocoa and is also rich in elements called flavonoids. These compounds are known to reduce cholesterol levels in blood vessels. Flavonoids are also found in tea, red wine and some fruits and vegetables.

Flavonoids also slow the grouping of “bad” LDL cholesterol besides rendering blood platelets less likely to clump and cause clots. While a little dark chocolate is good, a lot is not necessarily healthy. Consumers must be aware that chocolate still is loaded with calories. If it is consumed in large amounts, other dietary adjustments must be made. However as the above study indicates, regularly consuming this “food of Gods” may also protect against stroke.