JAKARTA – Stress seems to have become part of society. There is pressure in life that may make us feel overwhelmed by it.

But at a time of stress, experts recommend two drinks that are effective at driving out stress, namely hot chocolate and green tea.

According to the results of a study published in the journal Found and Function, consuming drinks with high flavanol content such as hot chocolate or green tea can help ward off negative effects of stress even after eating fatty foods.

The new study examines how flavanols consumed with fat can help reduce the negative impact of fat on stress problems affecting endothelial functions.

“We know that when people are stressed, they tend to choose high-fat foods. Previous research shows that fatty foods can interfere with the body’s vascular recovery from stress,” said lead author of the study Dr. Catarina Rendeiro as quoted by Antara.

“We want to see if adding a high food flavanol to fatty foods can reduce the negative impact of stress on the body,” he said.

In a study involving 23 healthy young men and women, research participants were given breakfast in the form of two composingcroissants with cheese and milk, then given hot chocolate drinks or low flavanols.

After resting, the research participants underwent a mental mathematical test whose difficulty rate increased for eight minutes. The wrong answer will be marked in the test, which is designed to cause stress in participants.

The researchers measured the flow of blood in the lower arm, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels in the participant’s prefrontal cortex during the test and during rest.

Using the Brachial Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD) test, the researchers also assessed the function of participants’ blood vessels to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The FMD test measures how large the brakialis arteries widen as blood flow increases. Higher test values indicate a lower risk of heart disease.

The results of the FMD test showed participants who consumed low-flavanol drinks experienced a decline in their vascular function, which lasted up to 90 minutes after feeling stressed.

In contrast, the results of the FMD test participants who consumed high-hot chocolate flavanol were significantly higher than those who consumed low-brown drinks flavanol 30 or 90 minutes after the stress period.

“This study shows that consuming food or high-drink flavanol can be used as a strategy to reduce the bad effects of unhealthy food choices on the vascular system. This can help us make wiser decisions about what we eat and drink during the stress period,” said Dr. Rendeiro.

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