Cocoa for Diabetics

We know that diabetics are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and we’ve learned that cocoa has the potential to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. A study conducted in Aachen, Germany, and reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, has now shown the cardiovascular benefits of cocoa in diabetics controlled by medication.

In this study, 41 diabetics had their blood vessel function assessed by a technique called flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). This test evaluates the ability of the arteries to dilate in response to an increased demand for blood, oxygen, and nutrients, produced by inflating a blood pressure cuff below the point of measurement (the brachial, or upper-arm artery). They were given a cocoa drink containing 321 mg of flavanol, three times a day, for 30 days, or a nutrient-matched control drink containing 25 mg flavanol. At the end of the study the high-flavanol group of subjects had a 30% increase in their baseline FMD, indicating a big improvement in the function of their endothelium (the cells lining the blood vessels). It seems flavanols may work by increasing production of nitric oxide, the body’s vessel-dilating substance.

Diabetics are an ideal population to study the effects of flavanols. The high flavanol ‘dosage’ used in this study was many times greater than the typical US dietary intake of 20 to 100 mg daily. The results are not a signal for diabetics (and others) to drink enormous amounts of cocoa. Better to wait until flavanols at this dose level have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, and peripheral arterial disease in large scale clinical trials. The sponsors of this study – Mars Inc. – are taking care of finding an appropriate vehicle to supply the necessary amount of flavanol. I imagine it will still taste chocolaty, otherwise it may not be so easy to take.