1. Central Arterial Hemodynamic Effects of Dark Chocolate Ingestion in Young Healthy People: A Randomized and Controlled Trial.
- Author
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Pereira, T., Maldonado, J., Laranjeiro, M., Coutinho, R., Cardoso, E., Andrade, I., and Conde, J.
- Subjects
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ENDOTHELIUM physiology , *CACAO , *ACADEMIC medical centers , *ANALYSIS of variance , *ANTIOXIDANTS , *CHI-squared test , *FISHER exact test , *HEMODYNAMICS , *LONGITUDINAL method , *NUTRITION , *PREVENTIVE health services , *STATISTICS , *T-test (Statistics) , *DATA analysis , *RANDOMIZED controlled trials , *DATA analysis software , *FLAVONOLS , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *THERAPEUTICS - Abstract
Introduction. The aim of this study was to assess the vascular benefits of dark chocolate in healthy and young individuals. Methods. A randomized and controlled trial was carried out involving 60 healthy volunteers, randomized into two groups: control group (CG; n = 30) and intervention group (IG; n = 30). The IG ingested a daily dosage of 10 g of dark chocolate (>75% cocoa) for a month. Blood pressure (BP), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), arterial stiffness index (ASI), aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), and pulse wave analysis (PWA) were assessed at baseline and one week after the one-month intervention period. Results. Arterial function improved after intervention in the IG, with PWV decreasing from 6.13 ± 0.41 m/s to 5.83 ± 0.53 m/s (P = 0.02), with no significant differences observed in the CG. A significant decrease in ASI (0.16 ± 0.01 to 0.13 ± 0.01; P < 0.001) and AiX (-15.88 ± 10.75 to -22.57 ± 11.16; P = 0.07) was also depicted for the IG. Endothelial function improved in the IG, with the FMD increasing 9.31% after the 1-month intervention (P < 0.001), with no significant variation in the CG. Conclusion. The daily ingestion of 10 g dark chocolate (>75% cocoa) during a month significantly improves vascular function in young and healthy individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
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