New research from the University of Birmingham has found that regularly consuming foods rich in flavanols – such as tea, berries, apples and cocoa – helps protect blood vessels from the negative effects of prolonged sitting. The work was published in Journal of Physiology.

A sedentary lifestyle has become the norm, with young people spending an average of about six hours a day sitting. It is known that even a slight decrease in vascular function is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Flavanols are natural polyphenols found in tea, fruits, nuts and cocoa beans. In the new experiment, 40 healthy men – 20 with high and 20 with low levels of physical fitness – sat under the supervision of scientists for two hours. Before this, participants drank either a drink with a high content of flavanols (695 mg) or a drink with a low content (5.6 mg).

Before and after, scientists measured arterial function in the legs and arms, blood pressure, blood flow and muscle oxygenation. Women were not included in the study due to hormonal fluctuations affecting the vascular response.

Men who consumed the low-flavanol drink experienced a deterioration in all major indicators, as well as an increase in diastolic pressure. This showed that even a high level of physical fitness does not protect blood vessels from the effects of prolonged sitting.

However, no harmful effects were found in participants who drank high-flavanol cocoa.

This is the first study to demonstrate the ability of flavanols to prevent vascular dysfunction in healthy men under prolonged sitting conditions.

Scientists emphasize that the effect was the same regardless of the level of physical fitness. This means that flavanols can support vascular health in a wide range of people.

Foods rich in flavanols are easy to include in your diet: cocoa, apples, berries, plums, nuts, black and green tea. The authors note that consuming such foods, especially when combined with short breaks from sedentary work, may be an affordable way to reduce the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.