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Background: The purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of the overall dietary intervention rather than a single nutrient on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial conducted at a child psychiatry clinic in Iran. Participants were 106 children and adolescents with ADHD. One group received methylphenidate plus dietary recommendations, while the other group only received methylphenidate. ADHD DSM-IV checklist was used to assess inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity scores at baseline and at the end of the trial. Results: The results revealed no significant difference between the two groups regarding mean age, gender ratio, body mass index, baseline inattentiveness score, and baseline hyperactivity score. Linear regression analysis considering the covariant variables showed that the inattentive score at the end of the trial was significantly associated with the mean change of favorite diet scores. Conclusion: This is the first clinical trial examining the effect of overall dietary characteristics rather than a single nutrient on the children formally diagnosed with ADHD. According to the results, un-favorite diet had no effects on inattentive or hyperactivity/impulsivity score. Encouraging the children with ADHD to increase their intake of recommended diet markedly improves their attention. Trial registration: The trial was registered at the Iranian Clinical Trials Registry (Irct ID: IRCT201311303930N29). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that ingestion of cocoa or chocolate reduces blood pressure in the subjects with hypertension. To clarify the hypotensive activity of cocoa, we carried out the research on microcirculation using intravital microscopic technique. First, we estimated the influence of repeated treatment of cocoa on microcirculation. Male rats fed normal diet (ND) or 15% fat containing high fat diet (HFD) or 0.2% flavan-3-ols containing HFD for 6weeks. Under anesthesia, the arteriole function of mesentery in rat was observed under physiological condition. Vasocontraction induced by the phenylephlin was significantly reduced in the HFD group compared with that in ND group, there was not such change in the HFD with cocoa group. Endothelium dependent vasodilatation stimulated by acetylcholine was significantly decreased in the HFD group compared with that in ND group. On the other hand, endothelial dysfunction of arteriole induced by HFD was not shown in cocoa group. In addition, single oral administration of cocoa or its flavan 3-ols on microcirculation in skeletal muscle was estimated. Cocoa (100 mg/kg) or flavan-3-ols derived from cocoa (10 mg/kg) was administrated through a feeding tube to the animals, velocity of red blood cells in precapillary arteriole and the number of newly recruited capillary in cremaster muscle were significantly increased by the treatment of cocoa or flavon-3-ols compared with vehicle, accompany with elevation of heart rate and blood pressure. These research has revealed that the ingestion of cocoa improves endothelial dysfunction of arterioles which is major determining of blood pressure induced by the high fat diet and single oral administration of flavan 3-ols in cocoa altered microcirculation in skeletal muscle and general circulation. These acute effects might be related with the preventive action of flavan-3-ols on cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hypertension and excess body weight are important risk factors for endothelial dysfunction. Recent evidence suggests that high-polyphenol dark chocolate improves endothelial function and lowers blood pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the association of chocolate 70% cocoa intake with metabolic profile, oxidative stress, inflammation, blood pressure, and endothelial function in stage 1 hypertensives with excess body weight. Methods. Intervention clinical trial includes 22 stage 1 hypertensives without previous antihypertensive treatment, aged 18 to 60 years and presents a body mass index between 25.0 and 34.9 kg/m2. All participants were instructed to consume 50 g of chocolate 70% cocoa/day (2135 mg polyphenols) for 4 weeks. Endothelial function was evaluated by peripheral artery tonometry using Endo-PAT 2000 (Itamar Medical). Results. Twenty participants (10 men) completed the study. Comparison of pre-post intervention revealed that (1) there were no significant changes in anthropometric parameters, percentage body fat, glucose metabolism, lipid profile, biomarkers of inflammation, adhesion molecules, oxidized LDL, and blood pressure; (2) the assessment of endothelial function through the reactive hyperemia index showed a significant increase: 1.94 ± 0.18 to 2.22 ± 0.08, P = 0.01. Conclusion.In individuals with stage 1 hypertension and excess body weight, highpolyphenol dark chocolate improves endothelial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]