India, Nov. 28 -- A new study from the University of Birmingham indicates that regularly consuming flavanol-rich foods-such as tea, berries, apples and cocoa-may help protect men's blood vessels from the negative effects of prolonged sitting.

In the study, published in the Journal of Physiology, researchers examined whether flavanols could mitigate sitting-related declines in vascular health. Forty healthy young men-half with higher fitness levels and half with lower-consumed either a high-flavanol cocoa drink (695 mg total flavanols) or a low-flavanol cocoa drink (5.6 mg). Women were not included due to variations in estrogen levels that may influence vascular responses, reported Science Daily website.

Participants then sat for two hou...