Numerous studies have shown that cocoa has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease. The reasons for this phenomenon were studied by researchers at Linkoping University in Sweden.
These findings have already been published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology by a team of researchers led by Ingrid Persson.
“We had previously shown that green tea suppresses an enzyme that is involved in body fluid balance and blood pressure regulation. Then we wanted to study the effect of cocoa, since the active substances are very similar to those in green tea,” says Ingrid Persson.
Scientists invited 16 healthy volunteers to conduct the experiment. They did not smoke and were not allowed to take any medications for two weeks. Over the past two days, they were prohibited from eating chocolate, as well as foods containing similar compounds: certain types of berries and fruits, coffee, tea or wine.
In the study, all volunteers (10 men and six women aged 20 to 45) were asked to eat 75 grams of unsweetened chocolate with a cocoa content of 72 percent. To analyze what happened to the enzymes, blood samples were taken beforehand before eating the chocolate, and then after half an hour, after an hour and three hours after eating the chocolate.
In a sample taken three hours after eating chocolate, there was a significant suppression of enzyme activity. On average, activity was 18 percent lower than activity before the chocolate was taken. The effect of chocolate is quite comparable to the effect of drugs that inhibit enzymes and are used as a treatment for high blood pressure.
When enzyme activity is inhibited, blood pressure decreases.
“Our results showed that these foods can be used in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases,” commented Ingrid Persson.
