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Natural Cocoa Compounds
May Boost Blood Flow and
Ease Heart Function During Exercise
Important New Research On The Role of Antioxidants,
Carotenoids and Phytochemicals on Cardiovascular
Health, Energy & Endurance.
Consumption of a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols may boost
blood flow to the muscles and ease the demands on the heart
during exercising, reports a study from Australia.
After exercising, overweight and obese people had blood pressure
that was 14 per cent lower following consumption of a high
flavanol-containing beverage compared with people consuming a
low flavanol-containing beverage, according to findings published
in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“These findings suggest that the consumption of cocoa flavanols
ould allow for safer and more efficient exercise performance in
an at-risk population, essentially placing less stress on the
cardiovascular system during exercise,” wrote the research team
from the University of South Australia.
The study adds to an ever-growing body of science supporting the
cardiovascular benefits of consuming cocoa flavanols. Indeed, only
last month NutraIngredients reported on another study by the
Australian scientists that found Regular consumption of cocoa
flavanols may decrease blood pressure in people with mild
hypertension, but only at high doses (J. Hypertension,
doi:10.1038/jhh.2009.105).
It’s Not Chocolate, It’s Cocoa...
Mars Botanical, the scientific research division of Mars Inc, reports
the benefits of the Cocoa bean revolve around the key flavanols
(known as flavan-3-ols or catechins), and particularly the monomeric
flavanol known as epicatechin. Mars’ interest in the active compounds
started about 20 years ago when its scientists sought to understand
the flavour components of chocolate. The bitter and astringent
compounds were isolated, and further study and clinical work showed
the health benefits of the monomers and the tannins, srecifically (-)
epicatechin.
How The Study Was Conducted...
The researchers recruited 21 people with an average BMI of 31.6
kg/m2, and an average age of 54.9, and and asked them to eat a
low-flavanol diet throughout the course of the study. The subjects
were randomly assigned to one of two groups: One group consumed
a single serving of a high-flavanol beverage containing 701 mg of
flavanols, and the other group consumed a low-flavanol beverage
containing only 22 mg of flavanols. This was followed by a three
to seven day washout period before crossing over to the other
intervention.
Two hours after the flavanol drink, the participants cycled for 10
minutes at 75 per cent of their maximum heart rate. While no
differences were observed in the blood pressure pre-execrise,
a significant difference was observed in response to exercise.
The increases in diastolic blood pressure were 68 per cent lower
in the high flavanol group, while mean blood pressure was
14 per cent lower.
Furthermore, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of a blood
vessel’s healthy ability to relax, was increased by 6.1 per cent
following consumption of the high flavanol beverage, compared
with 3.4 per cent in the low flavanol group, added the researchers.
“The results of the present study provide further support for
consumption of cocoa flavanols to improve FMD, and they provide
new evidence that cocoa flavanols can also attenuate the blood
pressure responses to exercise,” wrote the researchers. “
Furthermore, these improvements in FMD and blood pressure
response to exercise add to growing evidence that high flavanol
cocoa consumption may benefit individuals with cardiovascular
risk factors,” they concluded.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition Published online
“Impact of cocoa flavanol consumption on blood pressure
responsiveness to exercise.”
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