Note: The Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA) does not approve of security or efficiency supplements. Talk to a health professional to know if an additional supplement is suitable for your individual health and on any drug interaction or concern of potential safety.
Data from nearly 600 elderly people found that participants who took this type of supplement had significantly lower levels of an inflammation biomarker linked to age -related heart disease – suggesting that cocoa has anti -inflammatory properties that can result in heart -protective advantages, according to researchers.
Cocoa supplements can combat inflammation linked to aging
In a large initial survey called Cosmos (studying cocoa supplement and multivitamous results), researchers have randomly assigned more than 20,000 adults to receive 500 milligrams (MG) of cocoa extract or placebo (a dummy pill).
The study was partly supported by the manufacturer of supplements Mars Edge and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer; Everyone contributed materials and funding, but was not involved in the design or analysis of the test.
For this study, the team has examined a subset of data from nearly 600 elderly people to see if cocoa supplements would have an effect on the biomarkers of inflammation linked to five years.
They found that a marker linked to a greater risk of heart disease – called high sensitivity C -reactive protein, or HSCRP – has decreased in participants who have taken a daily cocoa extract.
The results suggest that cocoa supplements can encourage a decrease in “inflammage” or an inflammation linked to aging, explains the author of the corresponding study Howard Sesso, SCD, MPH, associate director of preventive medicine and epidemiologist associated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Antioxidants called Flavanols can benefit heart health
Should you try cocoa extract supplements at home?
Unfortunately, it is not easy to obtain so much Flavanol from standard chocolate or cocoa products on the market, says Dr. Sesso, because the treatment of cocoa beans strips a large part of their content in Flavanol.
“The Cocoa Flavanol content is not found on food labels, but cocoa powder may be more likely to have modest quantities,” he says. “There are cocoa extract supplements on the market, but they are not dominant, so I would recommend focusing on the flavanols as part of a large healthy plant -based diet.”
People with a cocoa known allergy should not take cocoa extract supplements. They would not be appropriate for someone who is particularly sensitive to caffeine, because cocoa contains modest quantities of the similar light stimulant called theobromine, explains Sesso.
What does the study on cocoa flavanols reveal and age -related diseases?
The design of the study offers forces in that it removes from the cosmos test, which was on a large scale, randomized and double blind – which means that the participants did not know what supplement they took. But as the researchers point out, the results were limited to the elderly who remained healthy during the test and did not study changes in inflammation markers who could have led to heart disease.
Overall, there is not yet enough conclusive evidence to determine exactly how cocoa extraction products affect cardiac health, and there are more surveys to do, explains Douglas Vaughan, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology and director of Potocsnak Longevity Institute, which focuses on the study of biological changes associated with aging, Feinberg of medicine in Chicago.
“Research examines biomarkers mainly linked to inflammation, it is therefore a limitation,” explains Dr. Vaughan. “You cannot draw conclusions that this has an effect on aging, because they do not really measure changes in the aging of vascular or other systems that could reflect a change in biological age, so it is a limited perspective.”
For longevity, focus on overall food, exercise and reduction of stress
The study suggests that a nutritive diet and rich in Flavanol can support health and healthy aging.
“It is the most important to focus first on a healthy diet, as well as other life factors and known clinical risk of cardiovascular disease,” said Sesso. “We already have many tools to help prevent cardiovascular disease. No single food is the most important; Cocoa flavanols should be part of a wider healthy diet model and other lifestyle factors. ”
In Human Longevity Lab of Northwestern, Vaughan says that the recommendations to extend the lifespan and health focuses on strategies based on evidence: “One, do the exercise regularly. Two, two, put your weight at an optimal level, whatever it takes. And three, try to reduce stress in your life. ”
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