Conclusion : Cocoa/DC supplementation does not reduce anthropometric measures significantly .
However subgroup analysis regarding dose ( ≥ 30 g/day ) and duration ( between 4 to 8 weeks ) revealed significant reduction of body weight and BMI
ABSTRACT Background : Cocoa and dark chocolate ( DC ) have been reported to be effective for health promotion ; however the exact effect of cocoa/DC on anthropometric measures have not been yet defined .
Flavanol-rich chocolate acutely improves arterial function and working memory performance counteracting the effects of sleep deprivation in healthy individuals
Background : Sleep deprivation is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease . Cocoa flavonoids exert cardiovascular benefits and neuroprotection . Whether chocolate consumption may mitigate detrimental effects of sleep loss on cognitive performance and cardiovascular parameters has never been studied . Aim : We investigated the effects of flavanol-rich chocolate consumption on cognitive skills and cardiovascular parameters after sleep deprivation . Methods : Thirty-two healthy participants underwent two baseline sessions after one night of undisturbed sleep and two experimental sessions after one night of total sleep deprivation . Two hours before each testing session , participants were r and omly assigned to consume high or poor flavanol chocolate bars . During the tests were evaluated , the Psychomotor Vigilance Task and a working memory task , office SBP and DBP , flow-mediated dilation and pulse-wave velocity . Results : Sleep deprivation increased SBP/DBP . SBP/DBP and pulse pressure were lower after flavanol-rich treatment respect to flavanol-poor treatment ( SBP : 116.9 ± 1.6 vs. 120.8 ± 1.9 mmHg , respectively , P = 0.00005 ; DBP : 70.5 ± 1.2 vs. 72.3 ± 1.2 mmHg , respectively , P = 0.01 ; pulse pressure : 46.4 ± 1.3 vs. 48.4 ± 1.5 mmHg , P = 0.004 ) . Sleep deprivation impaired flow-mediated dilation ( 5.5 ± 0.5 vs. 6.5 ± 0.6 % , P = 0.02 ) , flavanol-rich , but not flavanol-poor chocolate counteracted this alteration ( flavanol-rich/flavanol-poor chocolate : 7.0 ± 0.6 vs. 5.0 ± 0.4 % , P = 0.000001 ) . Flavanol-rich chocolate mitigated the pulse-wave velocity increase ( P = 0.001 ) . Flavanol-rich chocolate preserved working memory accuracy in women after sleep deprivation . Flow-mediated dilation correlated with working memory performance accuracy in the sleep condition ( P = 0.04 ) . Conclusion : Flavanol-rich chocolate counteracted vascular impairment after sleep deprivation and restored working memory performance . Improvement in cognitive performance could be because of the effects of cocoa flavonoids on blood pressure and peripheral and central blood flow
Conclusion : Cocoa/DC supplementation does not reduce anthropometric measures significantly .
However subgroup analysis regarding dose ( ≥ 30 g/day ) and duration ( between 4 to 8 weeks ) revealed significant reduction of body weight and BMI
ABSTRACT Background : Cocoa and dark chocolate ( DC ) have been reported to be effective for health promotion ; however the exact effect of cocoa/DC on anthropometric measures have not been yet defined .