Coffee isn’t the only one of life’s many joys. There’s chocolate and wine, and if you’re a healthy little weirdo, fruit, aka nature’s candy. Another thing these delights have in common—beyond being delicious reprieves from the existential pain of being—is that they protect you from metabolic syndrome. And according to a new study, they may reduce the risk by a staggering 23%.
As reported by Medical Xpress, the paper was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition and is the work of researchers from Brazil’s University of São Paulo Medical School. For it, researchers wanted to examine the effects of polyphenols on metabolic syndrome (abbreviated by researchers as “MetS”), described as “a cluster of metabolic abnormalities and hormone alterations.” Using data from ELSA-Brazil, a longitudinal health survey tracking 15,000 participants since 2008, researchers were able to identify nearly 6,400 suitable candidates.
As part of the survey, participants were asked questions about their intake levels of a variety of foods, including polyphenol-rich things like wine, chocolate, fruits, and coffee. This data was then cross-referenced against those who went on to develop MetS which is “clinically diagnosed when at least three of the following conditions are present: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and high lipids.”
Of the 6,378 participants, a total of 2,031 developed MetS. When separating the group by intake levels, researchers found that the highest estimated polyphenol consumption level, 469mg per day, was associated with a 23% decreased risk of MetS when compared to the lowest consumption level, 177mg per day. The study found that phenolic acid in particular—the polyphenol found in coffee, wine, and tea—had a strong association with MetS.
The study also found benefits for on cardiometabolic disorders linked to MetS. Per study co-author Renata Carnaúba:
The results showed that the effects of polyphenols on the metabolism and heart disease were far from negligible. Regardless of the various cardiometabolic risk factors, such as sex, age, smoking and physical activity, participants who ingested more polyphenols were up to 30 times less likely to develop high blood pressure or insulin resistance, and 17 times less likely to have elevated triglycerides.
So there you have it. Coffee, wine, chocolate, strawberries. All good for you. Frankly it sounds more like a prescription for a good time on Valentine’s Day than a prescription for good health.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
