Groundbreaking new pill to help with heart problems is made entirely of CHOCOLATE

A groundbreaking new pill that could help cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and dementia is made entirely out of CHOCOLATE – and is now available in the UK.

Blood Flow+ is the first ever chocolate pill in the UK and is aimed at those suffering from heart problems.

European regulators have found that flavanals extracted from cocoa help tackle cholesterol levels and blood flow and approved it as medicinal food last month.

But to get an effective dose a person would have to gorge on 400g of dark chocolate, containing a whopping 2,429 calories – or 329% of a person’s daily allowance of fat.

Instead, health supplement Blood Flow+ has the antioxidant nutrient in its purest form condensed into a pill.

Research by the Royal Society of Chemistry proved that flavanols help in the production of nitric oxide which in turn trigger the arterial wall muscles to relax.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has accepted it improved blood flow and the transference of oxygen and nutrients to the body.

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Dr Alf Lindberg, advisor of research company Cambridge Nutraceuticals, said: “We believe this is the way forward. New analysis is showing there are powerful compounds in many natural nutrients that could help maintain the health of everyone.

“We support the huge amount of research has gone into Blood Flow+ and we are delighted that it is the first cocoa flavanol product officially allowed to claim it benefits heart health.”

He said maintaining the elasticity of blood vessels is very important and current blood pressure treatments are not very effective at reversing or preventing vascular stiffness, whereas cocoa flavanols are likely to have benefits that current antihypertensives do not.”

Each year 17.5 million people die from cardiovascular diseases – 31% of all deaths globally.

US government scientists are also currently studying the benefits of cocoa flavanols, which is believed to improve blood vessel elasticity by 23%.

A five-year programme tracking the health of 18,000 people aged over 60 is being conducted by Mars Symboscience.

But if you’re thinking you can just eat tonnes of chocolate for its medicinal properties – think again.

Leading cocoa flavanol expert Ian Macdonald, professor of metabolic physiology at Nottingham University, warned that eating dark chocolate will not provide the same intake.

He added: “You have to mask the taste of pure cocoa because it is so bitter it’s unbearable.”