Sitting for Long Periods? Sip Cocoa or Munch Berries to Protect Heart Health, Experts Say
New research shows that consuming flavanol-rich foods and drinks uch as cocoa, tea, berries, apples, and nuts can help shield your blood vessels from the harmful effects of prolonged sitting.
Prolonged sitting can damage blood vessel function, but a study shows that flavanol-rich cocoa, tea, berries and fruits may prevent sitting-induced arterial stiffening offering a simple dietary safeguard for heart health.
Sitting + Sedentary Life: A Hidden Threat to Vascular Health
In modern life whether working at a desk, commuting, or relaxing on a couch many people spend hours sitting each day. Yet prolonged sitting has been linked to temporary reductions in blood vessel flexibility and impaired vascular function a stepping stone toward long-term health issues such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
Previously, researchers found that even a 1% drop in vascular function (measured by flow-mediated dilation, FMD) can translate into about a 13% higher risk of cardiovascular problems.
Because sitting is so ingrained in daily life, especially for office workers and frequent commuters, it is important to identify practical strategies that can help mitigate its cardiovascular toll.
The New Study Cocoa, Flavanols and Vascular Protection
A groundbreaking study published online in October 2025 in The Journal of Physiology tested whether consuming flavanol-rich cocoa before a period of uninterrupted sitting could preserve blood-vessel health.
- The researchers recruited 40 healthy young men 20 considered high-fit and 20 lower fit based on their fitness levels.
- In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, participants consumed either a high-flavanol cocoa drink (containing 150 mg (−)-epicatechin) or a low-flavanol cocoa drink (with less than 6 mg flavanols) before sitting for two hours.
- Before and after the sitting session, researchers assessed a variety of vascular health markers including FMD in both the arm (brachial) and leg (superficial femoral) arteries, blood flow, arterial shear rate, blood pressure, and leg-muscle oxygenation.
Findings: Sitting for two hours after a low-flavanol drink caused a measurable decline in artery dilation (FMD), increased diastolic blood pressure, reduced blood flow and shear rate, and decreased leg-muscle oxygenation regardless of whether participants were high-fit or less fit.
In stark contrast, participants who consumed the high-flavanol cocoa did not show such declines. Their arterial function (FMD) remained at baseline levels despite two hours of uninterrupted sitting and this protective effect was observed in both fitter and less-fit individuals.
In other words: Higher fitness alone didn’t shield participants from sitting-induced vascular impairment but flavanol intake did.
What Are Flavanols And Where to Find Them
Flavanols are natural plant compounds (a subclass of polyphenols) found in certain foods and drinks. They are present in cocoa beans, tea (black and green), many nuts, apples, berries, and other fruits.
These compounds have been shown in prior research to support vascular (blood-vessel) health improving endothelial function (the ability of arteries to dilate), enhancing blood flow, and even helping during periods of mental or physiological stress.
According to the authors of the study, adding flavanol-rich foods and drinks to daily routines especially during periods of sitting may be a simple, accessible way to preserve vascular health long-term.
Practical Implications How to Use This Insight in Daily Life
Based on the study and existing evidence, here are some practical tips if you or your readers have a sedentary lifestyle:
- Have a flavanol-rich drink before long sitting sessions. A cup of high-quality cocoa (preferably minimally processed to preserve flavanols), or a cup of black/green tea.
- Snack on flavanol-rich foods. Berries, apples (or plums), nuts all are easily available and heart-healthy.
- Combine with movement. While flavanols help, the study authors still recommend breaking up long sitting periods with short walks or standing breaks, which further supports vascular health.
- Don’t rely on fitness alone. Even physically fit people were vulnerable to the artery-dulling effects of sitting unless they consumed flavanols.
Caveats — What the Study Does Not Show
- The study was conducted only in healthy young men not women, older adults, or people with existing health issues. Researchers excluded women because hormonal fluctuations might affect vascular responses.
- The sitting period tested was two hours, which is shorter than many real-world sedentary stretches (e.g., a full workday, a long drive, or binge-watching TV). Whether flavanols offer the same protection during longer sitting isn’t yet established.
- While flavanols preserved artery dilation (FMD), they did not prevent all sitting-induced changes for example, blood flow reductions and reduced muscle oxygenation persisted in both high- and low-flavanol groups.
- The study measured acute effects (what happens around 2 hours after sitting) long-term cardiovascular outcomes (heart disease, stroke risk over years) remain to be studied.
Bottom Line — A Simple, Accessible Tip for a Safer Sedentary Life
In a world where long hours of sitting are hard to avoid, the new research from University of Birmingham suggests a surprisingly easy — and tasty — way to protect vascular health: before a long sitting session, drink a cup of flavanol-rich cocoa or tea, or snack on berries, apples, nuts.
While movement and regular exercise remain essential, this dietary strategy offers an additional, practical layer of protection. It’s not a license to be idle — but it might help mitigate some of the hidden vascular downsides of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.
References
- Sitting For Long Periods? Sip Cocoa Or Munch Berries To Protect Heart Health, Experts Say – U.S. News – (Accessed on Nov 28, 2025)
- Cocoa and tea may protect your heart from the hidden damage of sitting – Science Daily – (Accessed on Nov 28, 2025)
