Habitual cocoa intake reduces arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women regardless of intake frequency: a randomized parallel-group study

Figures & data

Table 1 Composition of the experimental drink

Compounds	mg/g	mg/17 g
Energy, cal	3.8	65
Theobromine	12.9	220
Total flavan-3-ols, flavanols#	2.36	40.12
Catechin	0.72	12.26
Epicatechin	0.86	14.64
Procyanidin B2	0.4	6.87
Procyanidin B5	0.07	1.14
Procyanidin C1	0.18	3.11
Cinnamtannin A2	0.13	2.16

Note:

# Sum of catechin, epicatechin, procyanidin B₂, procyanidin B₅, procyanidin C₁, and cinnamtannin A₂.

Table 2 Physical characteristics of subjects

Characteristic	Every day (n=13)		Every other day(n=13)		Comparison to baseline
	Before	After	Before	After	P-value
Age, years	62±11	N/A	66±12	N/A	0.403
Height, cm	154±6.7	N/A	152.4±4.4	N/A	0.504
Weight, kg	51±6.9	51.3±6.9	52.7±5.1	52.7±4.7	0.482
Body fat, %	30.4±6.3	30.7±6	28.6±7.9	28.4±7.9	0.524
BMI, kg/cm^2	21.5±2.6	21.7±2.8	22.8±2.7	22.8±2.6	0.251

Note: Values expressed as mean ± standard deviation.

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; N/A, not applicable.

Figure 1 Changes in cfPWV (A) and faPWV (B) before and after cocoa intake.

Note: *P<0.05 vs before.
Abbreviations: cfPWV, carotid–femoral pulse-wave velocity; faPWV, femoral–ankle pulse-wave velocity.

Table 3 Cardiovascular indices

Variable	Every day				Every other day
	Before	After	P-value	δ (95% CI)	Before	After	P-value	δ (95% CI)
HR, bpm	68±6	68±6	0.724	0±6 (−4 to 4)	64±6	64±8	0.6	0±8 (−5 to 5)
Brachial
SBP, mmHg	121±12	113±9*	0.011	−8±8 (−13 to −4)	126±11	116±12*	0.017	−11±12 (−18 to −3)
DBP, mmHg	74±10	69±9*	0.041	−4±8 (−8 to −1)	73±7	69±9*	0.034	−4±6 (−8 to −1)
MAP, mmHg	89±10	84±8*	0.014	−6±6 (−9 to −2)	91±8	84±9*	0.017	−6±8 (−11 to −2)
PP, mmHg	48±6	43±7*	0.027	−4±6 (−8 to −1)	53±9	47±8*	0.037	−6±8 (−11 to −1)
Ankle
SBP, mmHg	144±12	132±10*	0.012	−12±11 (−19 to −5)	146±16	137±16	0.054	−9±13 (−17 to −1)
DBP, mmHg	74±8	70±8*	0.014	−4±5 (−7 to −1)	73±6	70±6	0.169	−3±5 (−6 to 1)
MAP, mmHg	97±8	91±7*	0.014	−7±6 (−10 to −3)	97±9	93±9	0.093	−5±8 (−9 to 0)
PP, mmHg	70±12	62±10*	0.033	−8±11 (−14 to −1)	73±12	67±12*	0.042	−8±8 (−11 to −1)

Notes:

* P<0.05 vs before within the same group. Values expressed as mean ± standard deviation.

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HR, heart rate; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; MAP, mean arterial pressure; PP, pulse pressure.

Figure 2 Changes in plasma ET1 concentrations before and after cocoa intake.

Note: *P<0.05 vs before.
Abbreviation: ET1, endothelin 1.

Table 4 Cardiovascular risk factors

Variable	Every day				Every other day
	Before	After	P-value	δ (95% CI)	Before	After	P-value	δ (95% CI)
Glucose, mg/dL	113±15	91±7*	0.011	−21±15 (−21 to −12)	129±23	107±20*	0.024	−22±28 (−39 to 5)
Total cholesterol, mg/dL	207±35	200±31	0.653	−7±15 (−16 to 2)	193±32	204±39	0.462	6±22 (−3 to 24)
HDL cholesterol, mg/dL	68±15	65±13	0.738	−2±6 (−6 to 1)	67±11	69±15	0.676	1±19 (−4 to 7)
LDL cholesterol, mg/dL	120±21	114±20	0.537	−6±11 (−13 to 0)	106±25	116±33	0.359	9±19 (−2 to 21)
Triglycerides, mg/dL	84±39	71±36*	0.049	−12±27 (−28 to 4)	91±37	72±30*	0.017	−19±42 (−44 to 6)

Notes:

* P<0.05 vs before within the same group. Values expressed as mean ± standard deviation.

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein.