Chocolate supplements can prevent aging and death due to heart disease

Imagine walking into a doctor’s office and getting chocolates prescribed instead of medicines! Well, that day is not far away. Chocolate supplements may help protect the heart and also prevent aging.

Chocolate and heart health

About 17.9 million die of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The incidence of heart disease is climbing, especially among young people, and often lifestyle factors play a significant role. Research has shown that chocolate has a protective effect on the heart. A 2020 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that eating chocolate at least once a week is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease.Previous studies have found that chocolate is beneficial for both blood pressure and the lining of blood vessels; however, this study focused on if the sweet treat affects the blood vessels supplying the heart (the coronary arteries). The researchers found that eating chocolate more than once a week was associated with an 8% decreased risk of coronary artery disease."Chocolate contains heart-healthy nutrients such as flavonoids, methylxanthines, polyphenols, and stearic acid, which may reduce inflammation and increase good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol).

Chocolate appears promising for the prevention of coronary artery disease, but more research is needed to pinpoint how much and what kind of chocolate could be recommended," the researchers said.

Chocolate supplements reduce cardiovascular risk

Chocolate is known for its heart-protective properties, thanks to the flavanoids. But can supplementation reduce the risk of heart disease? To understand this, researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital conducted a large-scale randomized trial.

In the trial, they tested the long-term effects of a cocoa flavanol supplement to prevent cardiovascular disease. They found signs of preventive cardiovascular effects for cocoa flavanols, including a 27 percent reduction in the secondary endpoint of cardiovascular death.

“When we look at the totality of evidence for both the primary and secondary cardiovascular endpoints in the study, we see promising signals that a cocoa flavanol supplement may reduce important cardiovascular events, including death from cardiovascular disease.

These findings merit further investigation to better understand the effects of cocoa flavanols on cardiovascular health,” the researchers said.

“Previous studies have suggested health benefits of flavanols, compounds in several plant-based foods including cocoa, tea, grapes, and berries. This study, was not a chocolate trial, rather, it’s a rigorous trial of a cocoa extract supplement that contains levels of cocoa flavanols that a person could never realistically consume from chocolate without adding excessive calories, fat, and sugar to their diet,” the researchers said.

The findings of the study were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Can chocolate help you age like fine wine?

Well, the answer is yes. Scientists have long wondered whether consuming cocoa, which is packed with powerful antioxidants, helps us age better.Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University looked at the impact of a cocoa supplement as well as a common multivitamin, on reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other health outcomes.The flavanols, which are antioxidants in the cocoa that produce powerful anti-inflammatory response, are considered the beneficial component. However, these flavanols are often destroyed in normal cocoa and chocolate processing. While chocolate may contain some cocoa flavanols, chocolate is not a reliable source of these compounds, and it does not have the right nutritional qualities to be consumed as a health food.

"There is no question flavanols are good for you, the questions are how much and in what way they are good for you," the researchers added.Inflammation largely contributes to aging and common conditions such as heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s and cancer. That's where the flavanols come in.

The researchers came to the hypothesis that cocoa supplementation reduces epigenetic aging and inflammaging, consequently reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dark chocolate is a natural and good source of antioxidants as well as iron, copper, and other beneficial nutrients for heart and health. "Eating chocolate has been reported to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, cognitive decline, and boost the immune response to invaders like the coronavirus," they added.