School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Abbott-Nutrition Division, Research and Development, 3300 Stelzer Road, Columbus, OH 43219, USA.
Nutrients. 2021 Mar 27;13(4):1103. doi: 10.3390/nu13041103.
Mental stress has been shown to induce cardiovascular events, likely due to its negative impact on vascular function. Flavanols, plant-derived polyphenolic compounds, improve endothelial function and blood pressure (BP) in humans, however their effects during stress are not known. This study examined the effects of acute intake of cocoa flavanols on stress-induced changes on vascular function. In a randomised, controlled, double-blind, cross-over intervention study, 30 healthy men ingested a cocoa flavanol beverage (high-flavanol: 150 mg vs. low-flavanol < 4 mg (-)-epicatechin) 1.5 h before an 8-min mental stress task). Forearm blood flow (FBF), BP, and cardiovascular activity were assessed pre- and post-intervention, both at rest and during stress. Endothelial function (brachial flow-mediated dilatation, FMD) and brachial BP were measured before the intervention and 30 and 90 min post-stress. FMD was impaired 30 min post-stress, yet high-flavanol cocoa attenuated this decline and remained significantly higher compared to low-flavanol cocoa at 90 min post-stress. High-flavanol cocoa increased FBF at rest and during stress. Stress-induced cardiovascular and BP responses were similar in both conditions. Flavanols are effective at counteracting mental stress-induced endothelial dysfunction and improving peripheral blood flow during stress. These findings suggest the use of flavanol-rich dietary strategies to protect vascular health during stress.
精神压力已被证明可诱发心血管事件，可能是因为其对血管功能产生负面影响。黄烷醇是源自植物的多酚化合物，可改善人类的内皮功能和血压（BP），但其在压力下的作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨急性摄入可可黄烷醇对血管功能在应激时的变化的影响。在一项随机、对照、双盲、交叉干预研究中，30 名健康男性在 8 分钟的精神压力任务前 1.5 小时摄入可可黄烷醇饮料（高黄烷醇：150mg 与低黄烷醇 < 4mg（-）-表儿茶素）。在干预前后，分别在休息时和应激时评估前臂血流（FBF）、BP 和心血管活动。在干预前和应激后 30 分钟和 90 分钟测量内皮功能（肱动脉血流介导的扩张，FMD）和肱动脉 BP。FMD 在应激后 30 分钟受损，但高黄烷醇可可减轻了这种下降，并且在应激后 90 分钟仍显著高于低黄烷醇可可。高黄烷醇可可增加了休息时和应激时的 FBF。两种条件下的应激引起的心血管和 BP 反应相似。黄烷醇可有效对抗精神应激引起的内皮功能障碍，并在应激时改善外周血流量。这些发现表明，使用富含黄烷醇的饮食策略在应激期间保护血管健康。
