Flavanols in Cocoa Improves Blood Vessel Function in Young and Older Adults

Filed in archive Studies , Treatment on August 8, 2006

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According to a new study published in the August issue of the Journal of Hypertension, the flavonol-rich cocoa could offer powerful cardiovascular benefits for the nearly 78 million baby boomers in the United States these days.

Flavanols are the natural compounds found in cocoa that are increasingly currently being linked to promising circulatory benefits - including improved blood flow and a reduced tendency to form damaging clots.

The research team from Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, in a research study found that drinking a standardized flavanol rich cocoa beverage improved several measures of blood vessel function, most especially among older study participants.

Following the consumption of flavanol rich cocoa, significant improvements in vessel function were seen in both young and older adults; making this study the first to demonstrate that the consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa can improve this age-related loss of vessel function in older adults.

"Aging is typically associated with deterioration in vessel health, specifically related to function of the critical inner lining, or endothelium," said co-author Naomi Fisher, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

"Our findings demonstrate that consumption of this flavanol-rich cocoa can improve the function of blood vessels in a healthy elderly population. More research is needed to see if older adults with cardiovascular disease can also experience these improvements following consumption of this cocoa, but these initial findings certainly offer great promise. These findings have great potential to impact the health of our aging population."

Such findings agree with previous studies in cocoa which appear to link these vessel function improvements (in both the young and older adults) to cocoa flavonols' ability to influence the body's production of nitric oxide, a key regulator of blood vessel tone.

Source: EurekAlert