P57 Polyphenols in Cocoa-Rich Chocolate Improve Vascular Function, the Ventricle—Arterial Coupling and Cognitive Performance of Young and Healthy Adults

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate and explore the benefits of dark chocolate in young healthy adults.

Methods

Randomized study in 30 healthy participants aged 18 to 27 years. Half of the participants ingested a 20 g dose of low cocoa chocolate (LCC:~55%; 12,61 ± 1,35 mg equivalent of epichatequin/g) and the others ingested a daily dose of 20 g of high cocoa chocolate (HCC:~90%; 18,19 ± 2,64 mg equivalent of epichatequin/g). A baseline evaluation was performed before the participants started ingesting the assigned chocolate for a 30 days period, after which a final evaluation was performed. Each evaluation included heart ultrasonography, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and carotid pulse wave analysis (PWA), flow mediated slowing (FMS), an analysis of the ventricular-arterial coupling (VAC), cognitive testing and functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIR) of the pre-frontal cortex.

Results

A statistically significant improvement was depicted over the brachial and central systolic and pulse pressures in the HCC group, and a trend for improvement in the AiX and the FMS was also observed in the HCC. The VAC parameters showed a significant improvement in the HCC group after intervention, increasing from 0.674 to 0.719 (p = 0.004). Improvement in the memory scores (speed and accuracy) was observed in both groups, with a larger improvement in the HCC group, and related with an improvement in the pre-frontal cortex perfusion.

Conclusions

The intake of cocoa-rich chocolate improves vascular function and cognitive performance in healthy young adults, by reducing blood pressure, promoting vascular dilation, and improving brain perfusion over the prefrontal cortex.