Cocoa Healthy For Diabetics & Heart Patients
According to the doctors of cardiology, pulmonology and vascular medicine at the University Hospital Aachen and the Technical University Aachen, in Aachen, Germany, Cocoa can help blood vessels function better.
Flavanols, a natural plant compound are responsible for cocoa’s healthful benefits. It is also found in tea, red wine and certain fruits and vegetables.
Different study was conducted by Dr Kelm, and his colleagues to see whether high flavanol cocoa improves cardiovascular health or not.
The study was to test the effectiveness of the cocoa in long term. 41 stable patients with type 2 diabetes, were given high flavanol cocoa in comparison with low flavanol cocoa. Patients were assigned to drink cocoa with either 321 mg of flavanols per serving or only 25 mg of flavanols per serving three times daily for 30 days
Blood vessel function was tested on the first day before patients consumed any cocoa and again two hours after drinking beverage. The test was repeated before and after the consumption of cocoa on the 8th day and the 30th day.
The researchers found that patients with type 2 diabetes had severely impaired FMD (Flow mediated dilation) response in the beginning of the study. FMD evaluates the ability of the arteries to expand in response to an increase in the demand for blood, oxygen and nutrients. The FMD test involves measuring the diameter of the brachial artery in the upper arm using ultrasound, then inflating a blood pressure cuff on the forearm for several minutes.
Before the patients consumed any cocoa, the expansion rate of brachial artery was only 3.3%, whereas after drinking high-flavanol cocoa, the FMD response was 4.8%. After 8 days the FMD response was increased to 4.1% at baseline whereas after cocoa ingestion the FMD response increases to 5.7%. On 30th day FMD response improved to 4.3% at baseline and 5.8% after cocoa ingestion.
Whereas the patients who consumed low flavanol cocoa, shows no significant changes.
Dr Kelm says that this is because cocoa flavanols improve FMD response by increasing the production of nitric oxide, the chemical sends signal that tells arteries to relax and widen in response to increased blood flow. Relaxation of the arteries takes stress off the heart and blood vessels.
Although Dr Kelm cautioned that the conclusion of this study is not that, high flavanol cocoa used in this study is sold in the supermarket and the people with Diabetes should guzzle cocoa so as to cure diabetes. Rather “Physicians should be increasingly looking to lifestyle changes and new approaches to help in addressing the cardiovascular risks associated with diabetes.” says Dr Kelm.
Thus concluding that the dietary flavanols might have an important impact as a part of a healthy diet in the prevention of cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients.
Source: Science Daily
Filed under Diabetes, Diabetes Drug, Heart
