Cocoa for heart health of diabetics
May 27, 2008 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Oh I *heart* chocolate, and the health benefits of its antioxidant properties only make it more palatable! So naturally, the title of this news attracted me:
Cocoa May Stave Off Cardiovascular Disease in Type 2 Diabetes
According to a small study, drinking flavonol-rich cocoa three times a day improved the function of the endothelium (cells lining blood vessels) of type-2 diabetes patients, when cocoa was drunk after standard medications.
Flavanoids, such as those found in Fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine, and cocoa, have been linked to a reduced cardiovascular disease and mortality risk. But this is the first study to look at the effects of long-term consumption of flavonol-rich foods in diabetics. Now the researchers caution that this study is not about chocolate, or about diabetics eating a lot of chocolate (or cocoa), but rather about flavonoids. Also the research was done in the University Hospital Aachen (Germany) where the concentrations of flavonoids evaluated in the study are higher than the average daily intake in the U.S.
image: sxc
