NEW ORLEANS, March 26 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers Monday suggested that unsweetened cocoa -- and to a lesser extent sweetened cocoa -- have beneficial effects on endothelial function.
Valentine Yanchou Njike, assistant director of evaluation and research methodology at the Yale Prevention Research Center in New Haven, Conn., said that cocoa contains high levels of flavonoids, a group of antioxidant compounds found in fruits and vegetables, and the actions of these flavonoids may improve function of blood vessels.
"While the findings from this study do not suggest that people should start eating more chocolate as part of their daily routine, it does suggest that we pay more attention to how dark chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods might offer cardiovascular benefits," Njike said.
In the randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study that received indirect financial support from the Hershey Company, 45 subjects recruited from the general population of southwestern Connecticut were randomly assigned to one of the three consumption groups: eight ounces of either cocoa without sugar, cocoa with sugar or placebo.
For six weeks, all participants underwent endothelial function testing, assessing blood flow in the brachial artery of the arm using high frequency ultrasound before and after the daily cocoa or placebo consumption.
Of the 39 subjects who completed the trial, blood parameters improved significantly in the groups consuming cocoa with no sugar -- a 2.4 percent improvement, and cocoa with sugar -- a 1.5 percent improvement, from baseline values when compared to placebo patients who showed a decline in blood vessel function of 0.8 percent.
