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 .
Dietary Flavonoids Added to Pharmacological Antihypertensive Therapy are Effective in Improving Blood Pressure
Epidemiological studies have suggested that the daily intake of flavonoids is associated with a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease . Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of the addition of dietary flavonoids ( DF ) to antihypertensive treatment ( AHT ) , based on telmisartan ( Tms ) or captopril ( Cpr ) , on blood pressure ( BP ) , body mass index ( BMI ) , waist/hip ratio , leptin , lipid profile and inflammation in hypertensive young patients . An open‐label , r and omized , controlled trial was performed among 79 patients aged 20–55 years with grade I or grade II systemic arterial hypertension . The subjects were assigned to one of four groups for AHT plus DF during 6 months : Cpr ( n = 14 ) , Cpr + DF ( n = 19 ) , Tms ( n = 25 ) and Tms + DF ( n = 21 ) . DF consisted of dark chocolate , dehydrated red apple and green tea in an infusion to obtain a daily dose of 425.8 ± 13.9 mg epicatechin equivalents . The BP and anthropometric parameters were measured every 2 weeks . Lipid profile , leptin and hsCRP were determined by st and ard methods . The combination AHT‐DF produced an additional and significant reduction in ( i ) SBP/DBP of −5/−4 mmHg , being −7/−5 for Cpr + DF and −4/−3 for Tms + DF ; ( ii ) triglyceride levels ( −30.6 % ) versus AHT alone ( −9.6 % ) ; and ( iii ) leptin : Cpr + DF versus Tms + DF ( p < 0.005 ) . Finally , C‐reactive protein plasma levels were reduced significantly in all groups independently of the applied treatment . We conclude that the addition of flavonoids to pharmacological antihypertensive therapy shows additional benefits on BP , lipid profile , leptin , obesity and inflammation
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 .