Sitzen wird aufgrund seiner negativen gesundheitlichen Vorteile oft als das neue Rauchen bezeichnet | Forscher fanden heraus, dass die Flavanole im Kakao dessen schädliche Wirkung auf die Blutgefäße blockieren.

From the article: Sitting has often been referred to as the new smoking thanks to its negative health benefits. For the first time ever, according to researchers in England, the flavanols in cocoa have been found to block its detrimental effects on blood vessels.

At a time when we’re spending more of our days sitting down than ever before, the negative effects of this seated position continue to become clear. One study, for example, showed that every two-hour increment spent sitting and watching TV increased the risk of obesity by 23% and diabetes by 14%. Another showed that each one hour of sitting spikes the risk of developing sarcopenia – the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength – by 33%. Additional studies have also shown how sitting can cause neck, lower back, and shoulder pain.

So a lot of sitting is clearly bad for us. But a new study offers some hope to desk jockeys and couch-locked Netflix junkies in the form of … cocoa.

One of the reasons sitting is so bad for us is that it restricts the function of our vascular system. When that function is impaired, even by just a little, it can boost our chances of getting major cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes.

Because previous research has shown that compounds known as flavanols can have protective effects on our cardiovascular systems, [researchers](https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP289038) at the University of Birmingham in the UK wanted to see if they could directly impact our blood vessels while sitting.

So they rounded up 40 healthy young men between the ages of 18 and 45. By measuring their peak oxygen consumption, or VO2 peak, 20 were considered „high fit“ while the other 20 were considered „low fit“ based on both health challenges and low VO2 peaks.

The researchers then split the groups further and gave half of the high-fit group a cocoa drink that was high in flavanols and the other half a cacao drink that was low in flavanols. They did the same in the low fit group. They then plopped them in chairs and had them sit for two hours.

Cheap cocoa tends to have higher levels of heavy metals so buyer beware.

Oh no, I’ll have to go to the sitting section on the airplane.

This is likely garbage reporting at best, but it’s also 1 study, it’s not peer reviewed.

Finally, some good news!

100% of people who breathe air have died

A benefit cannot be negative. Shocking English from this journalist

Someone’s trying to sell more Ovaltine

Meanwhile corporations are forcing us all back into offices to sit for 6+ hours a day