New cocoa flavanol study provides evidence for cardiovascular health

While a growing number of studies has shown a link between flavanol-rich cocoa and cardiovascular health, scientists have now substantiated a causal relationship between specific compounds present in cocoa and cardiovascular health. Published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), this new study identifies the flavanol (-)epicatechin, as one of the bioactive nutrients in cocoa that can improve the ability of blood vessels to relax.

An international team of scientists from the University of Dusseldorf, Germany; the University of California, Davis; confectionery giant Mars Inc; and the Harvard Medical School conducted a series of studies examining the role of specific cocoa flavanols in cardiovascular health.

"Applying accepted causality criteria and gold standard methodologies, we have been able to advance our understanding of the relationship between the intake of certain flavanols present in cocoa, their absorption into the circulation, and their effects on cardiovascular function," said lead author Hagen Schroeter, faculty member at the University of California, adding: "this study established direct evidence for the effect of the flavanol (-)epicatechin as a mediator of blood vessel relaxation."