Vascular, cognitive and cerebrovascular function responses to acute consumption of chocolate in postmenopausal women

In a counterbalanced within-subjects cross-over design, post-menopausal women will complete three experimental trials (plus an introductory session) at the School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia. A washout period of one week will occur between each of the four sessions. Participants will be supervised for the duration of all sessions. They will be instructed to complete a food diary and abstain from caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and vigorous physical activity in the 24 h prior to the introductory session and to replicate this in the 24 h prior to each experimental session. At each session, participants will have 15min to consume one of the following energy-matched chocolate treatments (2099 kJ each); (a) 84 g of a high concentration cocoa (80%) ‘dark’ chocolate, (b) 87 g of a lower concentration cocoa (35%) ‘milk’ chocolate and (c) 85 g of a cocoa butter ‘white’ chocolate (0% cocoa solids). Measures of cerebral blood flow velocity responses, recorded before and during completion of a computerised cognitive assessment battery (CogState), brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and hemodynamic responses (heart rate, blood pressure) will be obtained in response to chocolate consumption. Each session will be approximately 2 hours in duration.