Does epicatechin contribute to the acute vascular function effects of dark chocolate? A randomized, crossover study.
Mol Nutr Food Res
; 60(11): 2379-2386, 2016 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27329037
ABSTRACT
SCOPE Cocoa, rich in flavan-3-ols, improves vascular function, but the contribution of specific flavan-3-ols is unknown. We compared the effects of pure epicatechin, a major cocoa flavan-3-ol, and chocolate. METHODS AND RESULTS:
In a randomized crossover study, twenty healthy men (40-80 years) were supplemented with (1) 70g dark chocolate (150 mg epicatechin) with placebo capsules; (2) pure epicatechin capsules (2 × 50 mg epicatechin) with 75g white chocolate; and (3) placebo capsules with 75 g white chocolate (0 mg epicatechin). Vascular function (flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and augmentation index (AIx)) were measured before and 2 hours after interventions. Epicatechin metabolites time-profiles were measured in blood to calculate the bioavailability. Pure epicatechin did not significantly improve FMD (+0.75%; p = 0.10) or AIx (-2.2%; p = 0.23) compared to placebo. Dark chocolate significantly improved FMD (+0.96%; p = 0.04) and AIx (-4.6%; p = 0.02). Differences in improvements in FMD (+ 0.21%; p = 0.65) or Aix (-2.4%; p = 0.20) between pure epicatechin and dark chocolate were not significant. The bioavailability of epicatechin did not differ between pure epicatechin and dark chocolate (p = 0.14).CONCLUSIONS:
Despite differences in epicatechin dose, improvements in vascular function after pure epicatechin and chocolate were similar and the bioavailability did not differ, suggesting a role for epicatechin.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cacau
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Catequina
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Chocolate
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
Limite:
Adult
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article