When researchers from University Hospital Aachen and the Technical University Aachen, in Aachen, Germany prescribed three mugs of specially formulated cocoa a day for a month, they found "severely impaired" arteries regained normal function. Flavanols, natural plant compounds also found in tea, red wine, and certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for cocoa's healthful benefits.
Mainly due to the effects of high blood sugar on the linings of blood vessels, people with diabetes are at greater risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and strokes. By eating wisely such people can reduce the risks, the study says.
It is thought flavanols, also found in tea and red wine, raise the body's production of nitric oxide. This is a chemical signal which tells arteries to relax.
The new research that is published in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology however says eating more normal chocolate would not work.
The high-flavanol cocoa used in this study, which provided many times more flavanols than the typical U.S. dietary intake of 20 to 100 mg daily is not sold in the supermarket. The researchers have cautioned that the study does not mean that people with diabetes should guzzle cocoa, but rather, that dietary flavanols hold promise as a way to prevent heart disease.
