Cacao flavanoids improve CVD risk

17 May 2012 – Cacao flavonoids and soy isoflavones can significantly improve CVD risk in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

The one year, double blind controlled clinical study conducted by Peter Curtis et al, funded by a UK based Charity, Diabetes UK, and supported by Frutarom, Israel, and Barry Callebaut, was published in Diabetes Care.

The trial consisted of 93 medicated postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. Subjects were randomly allocated to consume 27g/day (split dose) of flavonoid enriched chocolate (Barry Callebaut Acticoa chocolate containing 850mg flavan-3-ols [90mg epicatechin] and 100mg of isoflavones [aglycone equivalents)]/day) or a matched placebo.

The results showed a significant improvement in biomarkers of CVD risk in postmenopausal type 2 diabetic patients, compared to placebo.

These data highlight the additional benefit of dietary flavonoids to standard drug therapy in managing CVD risk in this group of patients.