High-flavonol Cocoa Repairs Blood Vessels in CVD Patients
Lee Swanson Research Update
Poor blood vessel function is recognized as an early stage in the development process of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease (CAD).
CVD is one of the leading causes of morbidity, mortality and disability in many parts of the world, especially in Western countries, and accounts for one-fifth of all mortality in the U.S.
The results of the research, which was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that daily cocoa flavonol consumption more than doubled the number of circulating angiogenic cells (CAC) in the blood.
CACs have been shown to have vessel repair and maintenance functions, which can contribute to healthy blood vessels. The researchers said that increasing levels of CACs have also been associated with a decreased risk of death from CVD causes, citing a 2005 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The authors of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology study claim that while other cutting-edge research has demonstrated that physical activity and experimental drug therapy can increase CAC levels, theirs is the first to demonstrate such benefits from a dietary intervention.
"Perhaps most importantly, for the first time, we found that cocoa flavonols might directly mobilize important cells that could repair damaged blood vessels. The benefits are substantial, without any observed adverse effects," Christian Heiss, one of the study authors said.
The researchers explained how they tested whether a one-month dietary intervention with flavonol-containing cocoa in patients with coronary artery disease, medically managed according to currently accepted guidelines, leads to an improvement of endothelial dysfunction and whether this is associated with an enhanced number and function of CACs.
In a randomized, controlled, double-masked, cross-over trial, 16 CAD patients, aged between 61 and 67 received a dietary high-flavonol cocoa drink or a low-flavonol nutrient-matched control cocoa drink, twice a day for 30 days.
The cocoa drinks were well tolerated and none of the patients experienced major adverse events, cardiovascular-specific events, or hospitalization during the study period, the article said.
The results showed that blood vessel function improved by 47% compared to low-flavonol consumption.
"Our data support the concept that dietary flavonoids, in addition to improving cardiovascular functions, can facilitate endogenous repair mechanisms that act synergistically with current medical therapy," the scientists said.
The authors said that the outcomes of their trial also demonstrated that drinking high-flavonol cocoa significantly reduces systolic blood pressure, an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Moreover, they pointed to a positive correlation observed between cocoa flavonols consumed and subsequent improvements in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of vessel health and its ability to relax.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology Published online ahead of print.
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August 2010