In a new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, researchers found promising signals that cocoa flavanol supplement may reduce important cardiovascular events, including death from cardiovascular disease.
People who received the cocoa flavanol supplement in the study had a 27% lower rate of cardiovascular death.
Previous studies have shown the health benefits of flavanols—compounds in several plant-based foods including cocoa, tea, grapes, and berries.
The primary cardiovascular outcome for the cocoa flavanol intervention was a composite of total cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, stroke, coronary revascularization, cardiovascular death, carotid artery disease, peripheral artery surgery, and unstable angina.
In the current study, more than 21,000 participants were randomized to take daily capsules that contained 500 mg cocoa flavanols (donated by Mars Edge), a multivitamin tablet (donated by GSK Consumer Healthcare), neither or both.
They found that cocoa flavanols reduced total cardiovascular events by 10%, but this was not statistically significant.
However, several secondary analyses provided broader support for a potential benefit of cocoa flavanols on cardiovascular events.
First, those receiving the cocoa flavanol supplement had a significant 27% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease.
Second, when the study team took adherence to study pills into account, the team saw a stronger, 15% reduction in total cardiovascular events and a 39% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease.
Third, a composite endpoint of major cardiovascular events (heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths), although not a trial focus, was also significantly reduced.
A daily multivitamin had no significant effect on total or individual cardiovascular events.
There were no safety concerns for either cocoa flavanols or a multivitamin.
In summary, cocoa extract supplements did not significantly reduce total cardiovascular events among older adults, but they reduced cardiovascular disease death by 27%.
More studies are required to clarify whether cocoa extract may reduce clinical cardiovascular events.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how to control your cholesterol effectively to prevent heart attacks and strokes, and findings of common food that may strongly increase heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about high blood pressure drugs that may increase risk of this heart disease, and results showing common drug for blood sugar control may treat heart failure.
The study was conducted by Howard D Sesso et al., and published in Clinical Nutrition.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
