Erdman John W, Carson LeaAnn, Kwik-Uribe Catherine, Evans Ellen M, Allen Robin R
University of Illinois, Food Science and Human Nutrition, 455 Bevier Hall, 905 South Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008;17 Suppl 1:284-7.
Epidemiologic investigations support the hypothesis that regular consumption of flavonoid-containing foods can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). While flavonoids are ubiquitous in plants, cocoa can be particularly rich in a sub-class of flavonoids known as flavanols. A number of human dietary intervention trials with flavanol-containing cocoa products have demonstrated improvements in endothelial and platelet function, as well as blood pressure. These studies provide direct evidence for the potential cardiovascular benefits of flavanol-containing foods and help to substantiate the epidemiological data. In this review, results from selective published trials with cocoa and chocolate focused on risk for CVD will be discussed along with a study we recently completed evaluating the effects of the daily consumption of flavanol-containing dark chocolate (CocoaVia?) with and without plant sterol esters on CVD markers in a normotensive population with mild hypercholesterolemia. In this study, the daily consumption of flavanol-containing dark chocolate was associated with a significant mean reduction of 5.8 mmHg in systolic blood pressure. Together the results of these human dietary intervention trials provide scientific evidence of the vascular effects of cocoa flavanols and suggest that the regular consumption of cocoa products containing flavanols may reduce risk of CVD.
流行病学调查支持这样一种假设，即经常食用含类黄酮的食物可以降低心血管疾病（CVD）的风险。虽然类黄酮在植物中普遍存在，但可可中含有的一类称为黄烷醇的类黄酮可能特别丰富。一些针对含黄烷醇可可产品的人体饮食干预试验已证明，其对内皮功能、血小板功能以及血压均有改善作用。这些研究为含黄烷醇食物潜在的心血管益处提供了直接证据，并有助于证实流行病学数据。在本综述中，我们将讨论已发表的、以可可和巧克力为研究对象、聚焦于心血管疾病风险的部分试验结果，以及我们最近完成的一项研究，该研究评估了每日食用含黄烷醇的黑巧克力（CocoaVia?）加或不加植物甾醇酯对轻度高胆固醇血症的血压正常人群心血管疾病标志物的影响。在这项研究中，每日食用含黄烷醇的黑巧克力与收缩压平均显著降低5.8 mmHg有关。这些人体饮食干预试验的结果共同提供了可可黄烷醇血管效应的科学证据，并表明经常食用含黄烷醇的可可产品可能降低心血管疾病风险。
