Home > Health > News > Diseases & ImmunityResearchers from the University of L'Aquila (Italy) performed this prospective, randomised, open-label, crossover trial to compare the effects of dark and white chocolate on blood pressure (BP) and glucose and insulin responses in healthy individuals. Fifteen healthy individuals (mean age 33.9 years) were recruited from the university's medical staff. After a seven day cocoa-free run in phase, participants were randomly assigned to receive either dark chocolate bars (100g/day) or white chocolate bars (90g/day) for 15 days. This was followed by a further seven day cocoa free washout phase, before subjects were crossed over to the other chocolate type for another 15 days. Both bars supplied an equal amount of energy (480cal). Each dark chocolate bar provided 500mg of polyphenols/day, whereas the white chocolate bars were polyphenol free. After the initial cocoa free phase and both 15 day chocolate phases, all participants underwent an oral-glucose tolerance test (OGTT) following an overnight fast to assess blood glucose and insulin levels. Subjects also measured their heart rates and blood pressure daily throughout the trial. Although within normal values, BP showed a trend to be lower after 15 days consumption of dark chocolate compared to white chocolate. The difference in systolic BP was significant between the two periods: 107.5mmHg v 113.9mmHg There were no significant effects on heart rate or serum lipid parameters over the trial period. The authors concluded that ingestion of dark, but not white, chocolate decreases systolic BP and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons. |
|
|
|
Contact Information: © 2010 Vitaco Australia |