Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2012 | Short report
Cocoa intake and arterial stiffness in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors
Authors:
José Ignacio Recio-Rodríguez, Manuel A Gómez-Marcos, María C Patino-Alonso, Cristina Agudo-Conde, Emiliano Rodríguez-Sánchez, Luis García-Ortiz, Vaso-Risk group
Published in:
Nutrition Journal
|
Issue 1/2012
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Abstract
Background
To analyze the relationship of cocoa intake to central and peripheral blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and carotid intima-media thickness in subjects with some cardiovascular risk factor.
Findings
Design: A cross-sectional study of 351 subjects (mean age 54.76 years, 62.4% males). Measurements: Intake of cocoa and other foods using a food frequency questionnaire, central and peripheral (ambulatory and office) blood pressure, central and peripheral augmentation index, pulse wave velocity, ambulatory arterial stiffness index, carotid intima-media thickness, and ankle-brachial index.
Results: Higher pulse wave velocity and greater cardiovascular risk were found in non-cocoa consumers as compared to high consumers (p < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, these differences disappeared after adjusting for age, gender, the presence of diabetes, systolic blood pressure and antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drug use. All other arterial stiffness measures (central and peripheral augmentation index, ambulatory arterial stiffness index, ankle-brachial index, and carotid intima-media thickness) showed no differences between the different consumption groups.
Conclusions
In subjects with some cardiovascular risk factors, cocoa consumption does not imply improvement in the arterial stiffness values.