Another Great Reason to Eat Chocolate

Older overweight men who consume dark chocolate every day may reduce their risk of cardiovascular risk, a new study suggests.

Previous studies have provided evidence of cardiovascular benefits associated with high intake of dietary flavanols, such as those contained in chocolate. These benefits have commonly been assessed using the brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a test of endothelial function. Although previous studies show that flavanol consumption increases endothelium-dependent vasodilation, the role of other markers of endothelial health, such as inflammation and leukocyte adhesion, have not been explored.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Cutting Out Sugar to Cut Down Cardiovascular Risk
A Cup of Coffee A Day Keeps the Doctor Away
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Diederik Esser, PhD, and colleagues from the Netherlands and Glasgow investigated this relationship in a randomized, double-blind crossover study of 44 overweight men between the ages of 45 and 70. Every day, these participants received either 70 g of dark chocolate enriched with high flavanol content or regular chocolate with normal flavanol content. They were followed over two periods of 4 weeks and were assessed for augmentation index (AIX), leukocyte count, plasma cytokines, and leukocyte cell surface molecules.  

The findings of the study showed that consuming chocolate daily increased FMD by 1%, which was paralleled by a decreased AIX of 1%, indicating an improvement in arterial stiffness. The researchers also noted that dark chocolate helped to lower leukocyte adhesion, a known risk factor in atherosclerosis.

Also, these benefits were the same in both groups, showing that “increasing flavanol content has no added beneficial effect on vascular health,” Esser said in a press release. However, information collected from the participants about the sensory properties of the chocolates and their motivation scores showed that increasing the flavanol content appeared to improve taste.

“We provide a more complete picture of the impact of chocolate consumption in vascular health,” said Esser.  

- Allison Musante, ELS

Reference

Esser D, Mars M, Oosterink E, Stalmach A, Muller M, Afman LA. Dark chocolate consumption improves leukocyte adhesion factors and vascular function in overweight men. FASEB J. 2014;28(3):1464-1473.