Research Roundup: Coffee; Whole Fruit; Dark Chocolate for Heart Health
More Coffee Linked to Lower Death Risk. Drinking higher amounts of coffee regularly may protect against all-cause mortality due to reducing resting heart rate, research shows. Patients with metabolic syndrome show an elevated resting heart rate. Over 1,920 participants over age 40 were measured for components of metabolic syndrome and analyzed using food frequency questionnaires over 15 years. Of the 343 who died during this time, lower mortality rates were found in those with higher coffee consumption. Higher coffee consumption was inversely associated with resting heart rate. (Heart and Vessels, May 2019)
Whole Fruit Promotes Healthy Weight. Eating whole, fresh fruit is associated with weight management and weight loss, especially in people with overweight or obesity, researchers say. Randomized controlled trials from study databases show that increasing consumption of whole, fresh fruit promotes weight management and even weight loss over a 3 to 24-week period. They also suggest that eating whole, fresh fruit decreases energy intake, especially when eaten before a meal or as a replacement of a more caloric food. Regular fruit consumption is not associated with weight change, and may even promote weight loss over five or more years. (Frontiers in Nutrition, May 2019)
Eat Dark Chocolate for Heart Health. Regular consumption of dark (high-cocoa) chocolate improves markers for cardiovascular health in young, healthy adults, according to researchers in Portugal and Sweden. Participants in the high cocoa group ate a 90% cocoa product, while the low cocoa group ate a 55% cocoa product. Both groups reduced both diastolic and systolic blood pressures, but the reduction was larger in the high cocoa group, suggesting that the higher amount of antioxidant epicatechin present in cocoa may be strong in reducing blood pressure. (Nutrition, July 2019)
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