Foods plays an important role in protecting our heart. While we may avoid certain foods that seem unhealthy, understanding the components and their benefits can help us make educated choices for our health. One such food is chocolate. Often avoided for health, study shows that it can actually protect your heart.

Enjoying a bit of dark chocolate or a comforting cup of tea might do more than just taste good – scientists have found they can actually help lower your blood pressure. Researchers in the UK have been studying natural plant compounds called flavan-3-ols to see if they can improve blood pressure and make our blood vessels work better.

Flavan-3-ols and Heart Health

A study done by the University of Surrey confirms that flavan-3-ols, found naturally in foods like cocoa, tea, apples, and grapes, are great for your heart and blood pressure. While these compounds "show promise," the researchers note they aren't commonly used yet to prevent heart disease. Their study looked at information from many other studies – 145 of them, involving 5,200 people.

The study found that regularly eating foods with flavan-3-ols can lower blood pressure readings, especially for people who already have high blood pressure. In some cases, the positive effect was similar to what you'd get from certain blood pressure medicines.

Flavan-3-ols also made the inner lining of blood vessels (called the endothelium) work better. This lining is super important for smooth blood flow and overall heart health. If it gets damaged, it can lead to problems like hardened arteries, which can cause heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers also noticed that the improvement in blood vessel function happened even if blood pressure didn't change. This suggests these compounds have a wider positive impact on your blood system, showing they can help prevent heart and blood vessel problems.

Trio-Protector For Heart Health

The researchers explained that these findings are encouraging for anyone looking for easy ways to manage their blood pressure and keep their heart healthy through tasty diet changes.

But remember, this doesn't mean you can eat tons of chocolate. Small amounts are key, and dark chocolate is much better than milk chocolate. Also, flavan-3-ols can't replace your blood pressure medicines if you need them. However, they can be a useful extra part of a "healthy lifestyle."

Adding small amounts of everyday foods like tea, apples, dark chocolate, or cocoa powder to your diet can give you helpful amounts of flavan-3-ols. While not a substitute for medicine or your doctor's advice, including more foods rich in flavan-3-ols daily can be a valuable addition to a healthy routine, especially if you have higher blood pressure. He added that while these findings are hopeful, they need more study.

How Flavan-3-ols Protect Heart Health

In 2022, a study Cosmos looked at over 21,000 people and found that certain cocoa compounds (a type of flavanol) significantly reduced deaths from heart disease by 27%.

The lead researcher explained that the 145 studies they reviewed tested various foods and supplements with flavan-3-ols, including cocoa, green and black tea, grapes, and apples. They also checked how these compounds affected blood pressure and how well blood vessels widen. The studies varied in length, from a single dose to weeks or months. On average, people ate about 586 mg of flavan-3-ols each day. That's roughly the amount in two to three cups of tea, one to two servings of dark chocolate, two tablespoons of cocoa powder, or a couple of apples.

Regular intake of flavan-3-ols led to an average drop in blood pressure readings of about 2.8 points (top number) and 2.0 points (bottom number). But for people who already had high blood pressure, the benefits were even bigger, with drops of up to 6-7 points (top number) and 4 points (bottom number). These improvements were similar to what some blood pressure medicines achieve and could greatly lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

A new study has found that synthetic food dyes are used in roughly 1 in 5 packaged foods and beverages sold by leading U.S. food manufacturers. The research, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, raises concerns over the widespread presence of artificial colorants in everyday supermarket products, especially those marketed to children.

Red 40 Tops the List

The most commonly used dye was Red 40, found in 14% of all products analyzed — or about one in every seven items. Red 40 is among a group of eight synthetic dyes currently under review by U.S. health authorities due to growing concerns about their health impacts.

“Products containing synthetic dyes also had a much higher average total sugar content compared to products without synthetic dyes,” said lead researcher Elizabeth Dunford, a nutrition consultant with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “This suggests that companies are using bright colors to market sweeter, less nutritious foods.”

A Push for Change by 2026

In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began taking steps to eliminate some of these dyes from the food supply. It proposed revoking approval for Citrus Red 2 and Orange B, and announced plans to phase out Red 40, Green 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2 by the end of 2026.

“These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an earlier statement. “That era is coming to an end.”

Study Covered 39,800 Products

To understand just how widespread synthetic dyes are, researchers analyzed nearly 39,800 grocery store products from the top 25 food manufacturers in the U.S. The data represented more than 80% of packaged foods available in American supermarkets.

The findings showed that synthetic dyes are particularly prevalent in products targeted at children. About 28% of products in the top five child-focused categories contained dyes, compared to 11% in all other categories. These categories included confections, sugary beverages, ready-to-eat meals, breakfast cereals, and baked goods.

Top Offenders: Sports and Sugary Drinks

Certain food and drink categories were more likely to include synthetic dyes. The study found:

• Sports drinks: 79% contained dyes
• Beverages made from concentrate: 71%
• Confections (candies): 54%

When looking at consumer purchases, three categories dominated:

• Carbonated drinks: 30% of dye-containing products
• Confections: 26%
• Sports drinks: 14%

More Sugar, Less Sodium

Interestingly, products with synthetic dyes also contained 141% more total sugar on average than those without them. However, they tended to have lower levels of sodium and saturated fat.

“There are a number of policy options to limit dye exposure, including bans and warning labels,” said Thomas Galligan, principal scientist for food additives and supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C.

Galligan emphasized that companies could also choose to reduce dye use on their own. “Our results show a wide variation in how much different companies use synthetic dyes, even within the same food categories,” he said. “That tells us it’s entirely feasible to cut back.”

Many people are not aware that the popular foods they enjoy eating or processed snacks that add to their daily consumption could have carcinogenic components. While you may not see immediate effects, they slowly chip away at your health causing you long term damage.

A new study from China has found a worrying connection between aspartame, a common artificial sweetener, and glioblastoma, which is the most aggressive kind of brain cancer. This research, published in Scientific Reports, used mouse models to investigate how aspartame affects gut bacteria and how those changes might influence the development of glioblastoma.

How Aspartame Might Help Tumors Grow

Scientists discovered that aspartame might create the right conditions in your gut to help tumors grow. Specifically, people who had more aspartame also had less of a certain type of bacteria in their gut. This type of bacteria has been linked to other health problems before, like being overweight or diseases like Parkinson's. The study also found a link between aspartame and how certain genes work inside brain cancer tumors.

The researchers said their findings are important for understanding how safe artificial sweeteners are and how they might affect cancer growth. This new information could lead to new ways to treat this aggressive brain cancer, possibly by focusing on genes or using treatments that involve gut bacteria. The scientists plan to keep studying how aspartame changes things in the body and around tumors.

Past Worries and How Much is Okay

This isn't the first time aspartame has been a concern. Before, some health groups said aspartame might "possibly cause cancer" in humans, but they didn't have strong proof.

There's a daily limit for how much aspartame is considered safe: 40 milligrams for every kilogram of your body weight. So, if you weigh 80 kilograms, you shouldn't have more than 3.2 grams of aspartame in a day. Even though this seems like a lot, aspartame is in many everyday "diet" or sugar-free foods and drinks. For example, some diet sodas can have 200 milligrams of aspartame in just one can. It's also in some medicines and chewable vitamins. Experts say it's about 200 times sweeter than regular sugar.

Ongoing Debate About Aspartame's Safety

Even though many health organizations around the world say aspartame is safe, scientists have been worried about it in studies for many years. However, a big review of these studies in 2019 said there were no major health risks or benefits from artificial sweeteners. This was mainly because many studies were small, short, or not very well done. A similar review in 2022 also mentioned "possible negative health effects with long-term use," but again, the proof wasn't strong enough. These "negative health effects" included worries about getting overweight, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even a shorter lifespan.

Healthy Eating and Role of Aspartame's

Completely avoiding aspartame would be really hard, and it might not even be necessary. Experts suggest that eating a wide variety of plant-based foods (like fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts) is the healthiest choice. It's also less healthy to eat a lot of highly processed foods, which are more likely to contain aspartame. So, try to pick fresh ingredients, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds whenever you can.

Apples are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world, with global production nearing 100 million tonnes annually.

Available in a variety of colors, flavors, and textures, apples have long been praised for their health benefits.

The saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” dates back to a 19th-century Welsh proverb—but how much truth lies behind it?

Modern research offers a deeper understanding of the nutrients apples contain, and whether these contribute meaningfully to disease prevention or overall health.

A Nutrient Powerhouse

Apples are rich in phytochemicals, especially polyphenols such as flavanols, anthocyanins, and phloridzin. These compounds are known for their antioxidant properties, which help neutralize free radicals—molecules that can damage cells and contribute to chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Flavanols have been linked to maintaining healthy body weight and reducing the risk of heart disease. Anthocyanins, which give red apples their color, are particularly associated with improved heart health. Phloridzin, unique to apples, has shown potential in helping regulate blood glucose levels by reducing sugar absorption.

In addition, apples are a good source of dietary fibre, especially pectin, which lowers LDL or "bad" cholesterol and helps regulate blood sugar and fat absorption from food.

What the Research Shows

Numerous studies have explored the link between apple consumption and improved health outcomes. A 2017 review combining five studies found that regular apple eaters had an 18% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Another analysis in 2022 of 18 different studies concluded that eating apples or apple-derived products like juice consistently for more than a week could lower cholesterol levels.

Evidence also suggests apples are beneficial in reducing cancer risk. Phytochemicals present in apples are thought to play a role in lowering the likelihood of developing certain cancers, although no single fruit can offer complete protection.

How Apples Compare to Other Fruits

While apples may not contain significant amounts of vitamin C, iron, or calcium, they do offer a strong antioxidant punch. Some researchers suggest that apples have the second-highest antioxidant power among fruits. They also provide a noteworthy portion of phenolic compounds, another class of health-boosting phytochemicals. One study found that Americans get about one-fifth of their total phenolic intake from apples alone.

These health-promoting compounds are not exclusive to apples; many fruits and vegetables contain polyphenols. However, apples are particularly celebrated due to their accessibility, long shelf life, and widespread availability, making them an easy and sustainable health choice for many.

Can One Apple a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away?

A study conducted in 2015 set out to answer this age-old question. Analyzing data from around 9,000 adults in the United States, the researchers found that apple-eaters were generally healthier and less likely to rely on prescription medications. However, the difference in doctor visits between those who ate apples and those who didn’t was not statistically significant when lifestyle and socioeconomic factors were taken into account.

This suggests that while apple-eaters may indeed be healthier overall, apples alone are not enough to drastically reduce the need for medical visits. More accurately, one might say, “An apple a day keeps the pharmacist away.”

How Many Apples Make a Difference?

Further studies suggest that consuming more than one apple a day might provide more noticeable health benefits. In a small trial, participants who consumed two apples daily over eight weeks saw significant reductions in cholesterol. Another study involving overweight women found that eating three apples per day led to weight loss and better blood glucose levels, though the latter result was not statistically significant upon follow-up.

How to Get the Most from Your Apple

To maximize health benefits, it is recommended to eat apples with the skin on, as most polyphenols are found in the peel. Additionally, ancient or heirloom varieties of apples may contain higher levels of beneficial compounds compared to modern varieties, which are often bred for sweetness and appearance rather than nutritional value.

Interestingly, the color of the apple—red or green—does not significantly impact its health value, as both contain beneficial polyphenols.