Dose related effects of cocoa flavanols on blood pressure

Dose related effects of cocoa flavanols on blood pressure in a borderline hypertensive population

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12609000792224

Enrollment

Registered

2009-09-10

Start date

2007-04-10

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Daily consumption of chocolate with high cocoa content for between 7 days and 18 weeks can significantly reduce blood pressure (BP). This anti-hypertensive effect of cocoa has been attributed to it’s high content of bioactive polyphenols, particularly the flavanol epicatechin. However, chronic (6-12 weeks) studies using flavanol rich cocoa beverages rather than the relatively higher calorie chocolate products have not yielded similar results. With similar or considerably higher daily doses of flavanols (compared to those provided in the chocolate studies) consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa beverages have resulted in relatively small reductions in BP or no change at all. This study intended to determine the required daily dose of cocoa flavanols to lower 24 hour Ambulatory BP (ABP) in a borderline hypertensive population when delivered in a (relatively lower calorie) reconstituted cocoa beverage

Interventions

Comparison of four doses of cocoa flavanols in cocoa based reconstituted drink. Doses are 33, 372, 712 or 1052 mg/d. Each dose is delivered in a single beverge once per day for 6 weeks. Doses are consistent within each treatment group for the duration of the 6 week intervention.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

-Adult Male and post menopausal females -Systolic blood pressure 130-160mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure 85-100mmHg. -Otherwise healthy

Exclusion criteria

-Known diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (or a history of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular incidents). -Diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2) or were taking prescribed anti-diabetic medication. -Renal failure. -Taking blood pressure lowering medication or dietary supplements that may influence blood pressure (i.e. fish oil, liquorice, polyphenols) in the preceding 3 months, -Intolerance to alkaloids (caffeine, theobromine) or dairy. -Currently smoking or using nicotine replacement therapy

Outcome results