Mike Montemarano, Associate Editor 05.21.21
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, has been reported in many studies to have an inverse incidence relationship with cocoa products, such as chocolate, which are rich in flavonoids, a phytochemical linked to reduced blood pressure, improved lipid profiles, and insulin resistance.
A new epidemiological study appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involving health data sourced from 188,447 participants of the Million Veteran Program, all of whom receive healthcare in the Veterans Health Administration, found that the self-reported habitual consumption of chocolate ranging from one serving per month to five servings per week had a dose-respondent relationship which linked chocolate consumption to reduced incidences of coronary artery disease, after adjusting for other demographic and lifestyle factors.
Interestingly, the presence of type 2 diabetes did not have an impact on the inverse relationship between chocolate consumption and CAD risk, in an analysis of a sub-group of over 10,000 type 2 diabetic study participants. In total, there were 10,224 CAD events and 10,856 secondary events recorded in the group of participants over a study period of 3.2 years.
The authors of the study said that this was the first large-scale study which demonstrated not just an inverse relationships between chocolate consumption and CAD risk that was not modified by age, BMI, race, sex, diabetes, or hypertension.
“The amount of chocolate consumption needed to confer a lower risk of CAD varies across studies,” the authors of the study concluded. “We observed that any consistent chocolate intake among veterans was associated with a significantly lower risk of CAD, but a recent meta-analysis of 14 studies found that only chocolate consumption less than 100g/week was associated with a lower risk of CVD; higher amounts suggested increased risk of adverse health effects with higher sugar consumption.”
“In conclusion, our findings indicate that regular chocolate consumption is associated with an 8-12% lower risk of CAD among veterans,” the authors wrote.
The authors said that future studies on chocolate’s effect on health outcomes should focus specifically on cocoa content and the amount of flavonoids in the types of chocolate consumed, because these compounds can vary widely across different chocolate products.
Mike Montemarano has been the Associate Editor of Nutraceuticals World since February 2020. He can be reached at mmontemarano@rodmanmedia.com.
A new epidemiological study appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involving health data sourced from 188,447 participants of the Million Veteran Program, all of whom receive healthcare in the Veterans Health Administration, found that the self-reported habitual consumption of chocolate ranging from one serving per month to five servings per week had a dose-respondent relationship which linked chocolate consumption to reduced incidences of coronary artery disease, after adjusting for other demographic and lifestyle factors.
Interestingly, the presence of type 2 diabetes did not have an impact on the inverse relationship between chocolate consumption and CAD risk, in an analysis of a sub-group of over 10,000 type 2 diabetic study participants. In total, there were 10,224 CAD events and 10,856 secondary events recorded in the group of participants over a study period of 3.2 years.
The authors of the study said that this was the first large-scale study which demonstrated not just an inverse relationships between chocolate consumption and CAD risk that was not modified by age, BMI, race, sex, diabetes, or hypertension.
“The amount of chocolate consumption needed to confer a lower risk of CAD varies across studies,” the authors of the study concluded. “We observed that any consistent chocolate intake among veterans was associated with a significantly lower risk of CAD, but a recent meta-analysis of 14 studies found that only chocolate consumption less than 100g/week was associated with a lower risk of CVD; higher amounts suggested increased risk of adverse health effects with higher sugar consumption.”
“In conclusion, our findings indicate that regular chocolate consumption is associated with an 8-12% lower risk of CAD among veterans,” the authors wrote.
The authors said that future studies on chocolate’s effect on health outcomes should focus specifically on cocoa content and the amount of flavonoids in the types of chocolate consumed, because these compounds can vary widely across different chocolate products.
Mike Montemarano has been the Associate Editor of Nutraceuticals World since February 2020. He can be reached at mmontemarano@rodmanmedia.com.
