An ice cream to lick heart disease?
- Scientists have created a variety of ice-cream that is heart-friendly
- Treat is packed with polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in foods
- Studies have shown they have a beneficial effect on blood vessels
Pat Hagan For The Mail On Sunday
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Doctors could soon be dishing out unlikely medical advice to patients at risk of deadly heart disease – eat more ice cream.
Scientists have developed a heart-friendly variety that boosts blood flow and reduces harmful stress on cardiac cells.
They predict the treat – packed with health-boosting plant chemicals called polyphenols – could play a key role in warding off heart attacks and strokes.
Scientists have developed a heart-friendly variety of ice-cream that boosts blood flow and reduces harmful stress on cardiac cells
Studies have shown that polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in foods and drinks ranging from red wine and dark chocolate to vegetables and nuts, have a beneficial effect on blood vessels, but most people on Western-style diets struggle to consume enough.
Researchers came up with the idea of packing high quantities of polyphenols into an ice cream because, in addition to being more appealing to consumers, studies suggest the chemicals survive longer at lower temperatures.
Researchers at the University of Rome gave 14 volunteers ice cream with large amounts of cocoa powder, hazelnut extract and green tea – all rich in polyphenols – mixed in.
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After eating it, the group had higher levels of nitric oxide, which keeps arteries healthy, and blood flow and physical stamina improved, compared to when they ate a bowl of normal ice cream.
Revealing their results in the journal Nutrition, the scientists said that although the study was small, the positive results could herald a new way of tackling heart disease, which kills about 73,000 Britons a year.
But Tracey Parker, of the British Heart Foundation, warned: ‘A daily dose of antioxidant ice cream will not make up for an otherwise unhealthy diet.’
Studies have shown that polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in foods such as dark chocolate, have a beneficial effect on blood vessels (file photo)
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