FRC consumption significantly improves blood pressure , insulin resistance , lipid profiles , and FMD .
A growing body of evidence suggests that the consumption of foods rich in polyphenolic compounds , particularly cocoa , may have cardioprotective effects .
No review , however , has yet examined the effect of flavonoid-rich cocoa ( FRC ) on all major cardiovascular risk factors or has examined potential dose-response relationships for these effects .
Eating chocolate can significantly protect the skin from UV light.
BACKGROUND Cocoa beans fresh from the tree are exceptionally rich in flavanols . Unfortunately , during conventional chocolate making , this high antioxidant capacity is greatly reduced due to manufacturing processes . AIM To evaluate the photoprotective potential of chocolate consumption , comparing a conventional dark chocolate to a specially produced chocolate with preserved high flavanol ( HF ) levels . METHODS A double-blind in vivo study in 30 healthy subjects was conducted . Fifteen subjects each were r and omly assigned to either a HF or low flavanol ( LF ) chocolate group and consumed a 20 g portion of their allocated chocolate daily . The minimal erythema dose ( MED ) was assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks under st and ardized conditions . RESULTS In the HF chocolate group the mean MED more than doubled after 12 weeks of chocolate consumption , while in the LF chocolate group , the MED remained without significant change . CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that regular consumption of a chocolate rich in flavanols confers significant photoprotection and can thus be effective at protecting human skin from harmful UV effects . Conventional chocolate has no such effect
FRC consumption significantly improves blood pressure , insulin resistance , lipid profiles , and FMD .
A growing body of evidence suggests that the consumption of foods rich in polyphenolic compounds , particularly cocoa , may have cardioprotective effects .
No review , however , has yet examined the effect of flavonoid-rich cocoa ( FRC ) on all major cardiovascular risk factors or has examined potential dose-response relationships for these effects .