Flavonoids found in chocolate may protect against cardiovascular disease

Chocolate–along with other plant-based foods such as tea, red wine, and apples– contains flavonoids that may have a cardioprotective effect by reducing oxidative stress on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Publishing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Wan et al. provide evidence for an antioxidant effect of diets containing cocoa powder and chocolate. Their results suggest that cocoa and chocolate should be added to other sources of flavonoids in the diet, and may provide an additional defense against cardiovascular disease.

In the both the short-term and long-term phases of the research, 23 healthy subjects (10 men and 13 women) with a mean age of 36 years were fed either a typical American diet or the same diet supplemented with chocolate and cocoa powder to provide about 466 mg per day of procyanidin, a type of flavonoid. In the short-term pilot study, plasma levels of flavonoids rose rapidly for 2 hours after consumption of the chocolate, and then gradually declined to previous levels after 24 hours. The long-term phase, totaling 8 weeks, measured the effects of the supplemented and normal diets on total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. The lag time for oxidation of LDL cholesterol was 8% longer after the chocolate-supplemented diet than after the normal diet. An additional potential cardioprotective effect of the chocolate supplement was a 4% increase in serum HDL cholesterol.

The authors conclude that these effects "may indicate a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease when changes in the susceptibility and extent of LDL oxidation are implicated as important causative factors." An editorial by Nestel cautions that evidence for the bioactivity of one particular compound in one food may not be clinically relevant, but rather, the results of the study should be interpreted as support for the consumption of greater varieties of all plant foods, including cocoa.

Wan, Ying et al. Effects of cocoa powder and dark chocolate on LDL oxidative susceptibility and prostaglandin concentrations in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:596-602

Nestel, Paul J. How good is chocolate? Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:563-4.

This media release is provided by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition to provide current information on nutrition-related research. This information should not be construed as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, consult your doctor. To see the complete text of this article, please go to:

http://faseb.org/ajcn/November/12568-Kris-Etherton2.pdf

For more information, please contact: pmk3@psu.edu

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