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Brains and not brawn, the key for a successful knockout karate punch 'scientists say'

       

Brain power, not brute strength, may explain how karate experts can break bricks with a bare-handed strike, according to scientists who say years of martial arts training alter the organ's wiring.

Researchers in Britain compared the short-range punches of a dozen karate masters to those of 12 physically fit novices and found the black belts' secret lay not in muscle power but an ability to coordinate the peak velocity of their shoulder and wrist.

This allowed higher acceleration and a bigger impact force, the scientists say in the latest issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex.

The scientists then scanned the two groups' brains, and found that those who threw the bigger punch had changes in the structure of their white matter, which transmits signals between the brain's processing regions.

The longer they had been training, the more changes.

"The karate black belts were able to repeatedly coordinate their punching action with a level of coordination that novices can't produce," study co-author Ed Roberts of Imperial College London's medicine department said in a statement.

"We think that ability might be related to fine tuning of neural connections in the cerebellum (the part of the brain that governs motor control), allowing them to synchronise their arm and trunk movements very accurately."

Scientists believe that through the process of learning a skill, patterns of brain activity adapt as performance improves.

Now they believe they have also found proof of changes to the actual brain structure.

"This has implications for our understanding of the role of white matter connectivity in motor coordination," said the paper.

Dark chocolate 'may lower your blood pressure'

   

There may be good news for people looking for an excuse to munch on a couple of squares of chocolate after a review showed the treat could reduce blood pressure.

An analysis of 20 studies showed that eating dark chocolate daily resulted in a slight reduction in blood pressure.

The Cochrane Group's report said chemicals in cocoa, chocolate's key ingredient, relaxed blood vessels.

However, there are healthier ways of lowering blood pressure.

The theory is that cocoa contains flavanols which produce a chemical in the body called nitric oxide. This 'relaxes' blood vessels making it easier for blood to pass through them, lowering the blood pressure.

The 100g of chocolate that had to be consumed daily in a number of the studies would also come with 500 calories - that's a quarter of a woman's recommended daily intake”

However, studies have thrown up mixed results. The Cochrane analysis combined previous studies to see if there was really an effect.

There was a huge range in the amount of cocoa consumed, from 3g to 105g a day, by each participant. However, the overall picture was a small reduction in blood pressure.

A systolic blood pressure under 120mmHg (millimetres of mercury) is considered normal. Cocoa resulted in a 2-3mmHg reduction in blood pressure. However, the length of the trials was only two weeks so the longer term effects are unknown.

Lead researcher Karin Ried, from the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne, Australia, said: "Although we don't yet have evidence for any sustained decrease in blood pressure, the small reduction we saw over the short term might complement other treatment options and might contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease."

High blood pressure is both common and deadly. It has been linked to 54% of strokes worldwide and 47% of cases of coronary heart disease.

However, chocolate packs plenty of fat and sugar as well as cocoa so is not the ideal way of lowering blood pressure.

Dark or milk?

There has also been a warning in the Lancet medical journal that dark chocolate may contain fewer flavanols than you might think. Dark chocolate contains a higher cocoa count than milk chocolate so should contain more flavanols, however, they can also be removed as they have a bitter taste.

Victoria Taylor, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's difficult to tell exactly what sort of quantities of flavanol-rich cocoa would be needed to observe a beneficial effect and the best way for people to obtain it.

"With most of the studies carried out over a short period of time it's also not possible to know for sure whether the benefits could be sustained in the long term. The 100g of chocolate that had to be consumed daily in a number of the studies would also come with 500 calories - that's a quarter of a woman's recommended daily intake.

"Beans, apricots, blackberries and apples also contain flavanols and, while containing lower amounts than in cocoa, they won't come with the unhealthy extras found in chocolate."