Cocoa Consumption Decreases Oxidative Stress, Proinflammatory Mediators and Lipid Peroxidation in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Dose-Response Clinical Trial

IntroductionCocoa flavonoids have been described to reduce the cardiovascular risk. Nevertheless, the involved mechanisms should be clarified and the dose–effect relation has never been evaluated.AimTo investigate the dose-dependent effects of cocoa flavonoids on markers of endothelial and platelet...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention 2023-05, Vol.30 (3), p.219-225
Main Authors: Grassi, Davide, Mai, Francesca, De Feo, Martina, Barnabei, Remo, Carducci, Augusto, Desideri, Giovambattista, Necozione, Stefano, Allegaert, Leen, Bernaert, Herwig, Ferri, Claudio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atherosclerosis
Biomarkers
Blood platelets
Blood pressure
Cardiovascular disease
Clinical outcomes
Cocoa
Dietary supplements
Endothelium
Flavonoids
Health care
Health risks
Inflammation
Lipid peroxidation
Lipids
Original
Oxidative stress
Polyphenols
Statistical power
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:IntroductionCocoa flavonoids have been described to reduce the cardiovascular risk. Nevertheless, the involved mechanisms should be clarified and the dose–effect relation has never been evaluated.AimTo investigate the dose-dependent effects of cocoa flavonoids on markers of endothelial and platelet activation and oxidative stress.MethodsAccording to a randomized, double-blind, controlled, cross-over design, 20 healthy nonsmokers were assigned to receive either five treatments with daily intake of 10 g cocoa (0, 80, 200, 500 and 800 mg cocoa flavonoids/day) in five periods lasting 1 week each.ResultsCompared with flavonoid-free cocoa control, cocoa reduced sICAM-1 mean values [from 1190.2 to 1123.0; 906.3; 741.7 and 625.6 pg/mL (p = 0.0198 and p = 0.0016, for 500 and 800 mg respectively], sCD40L mean values [from 218.8 to 210.2; 165.5; 134.5 and 128.4 pg/mL (p = 0.023 and p = 0.013, for 500 and 800 mg respectively] and 8-isoprostanes F2 mean values [from 4703.9 to 4670.7; 2000.1; 2098.4 and 2052.3 pg/mL (p = 0.025; p = 0.034 and p = 0.029, for 200, 500 and 800 mg respectively)].ConclusionsIn our study we observed that short-term cocoa consumption improved proinflammatory mediators, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress with a significant effect for higher dosages of flavonoids. Our findings suggest cocoa might be a valid tool for dietary intervention in prevention of atherosclerosis.
ISSN:1120-9879
1179-1985
DOI:10.1007/s40292-023-00571-8