Chocolate May Improve Blood Flow in Type 2 Diabetes
All the talk about chocolate being good for your health is
starting to get serious, with new evidence reported in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
And with this emphasis in learning more about the benefits
of chocolate, candy maker Mars Inc., of chocolate bar fame, has established a
scientific division called Symbioscience.
Mars researchers have published a report showing that an
enriched hot cocoa beverage can improve blood flow in persons with type 2
diabetes.
"The study is the first of its kind in terms of its rigor,
as well as the population studied," says Harold Schmitz, Ph.D., chief science
officer of Mars.
"Diabetics treated as well as they could be treated with
pharmaceutical intervention did see, on average, a 30 percent improvement in
vascular function," he says.
The study researchers asked 41 adults with type 2 diabetes
to drink cocoa enriched with flavanols, which are natural compounds found in
some fruits and vegetables and in chocolate - especially the dark kind.
Flavanols are believed to improve blood flow by increasing
the production of nitric oxide, which causes arteries to relax.
After an initial trial of cocoa containing various amounts
of flavanols, the participants were assigned to drink cocoa with either 321
milligrams or 25 milligrams of flavanols per serving three times a day for 30
days.
The researchers then tested the participants for
"flow-mediated dilation," the ability of the arteries to expand in response to
the body's demand for more blood and oxygen.
Before the study began, the brachial artery in the upper
arms of the participants expanded only 3.3 percent on average.
After 30 days of the high-flavanol cocoa, the expansion was
5.8 percent after the beverage was drunk. No increase was seen in the people who
consumed low-flavanol cocoa.
"This is a nice study, confirming and extending previous
work that cocoa compounds can enhance vasodilation in humans to diabetes
patients," says Henriette van Praag, Ph.D., an investigator in the National
Institute on Aging Neuroplasticity and Behavior Unit.
"The study would have been better if they had tested the
individual flavanols they suggest are responsible for the effect separately,"
says Dr. van Praag.
Nutritionist Angela Kurtz, at New York University Medical
Center, also had some mild criticism of the study, centering on the caloric
content of cocoa.
"Those 170 extra calories in the cocoa would promote
obesity," she says. "You would have to omit some other calorie sources that
match that amount to prevent weight gain."
Still, Kurtz says, "The bottom line is that diabetics who
have a poor vascular system can benefit from something that gives pleasure at
the same time it helps health. Cocoa increases the amount of endorphins, the
feel-good chemicals."
Dr. Schmitz says more research is needed to substantiate
the findings.
"Clearly, the next step is a long study with enough
subjects to clearly demonstrate there is a benefit of flavanol-enriched
beverages for diabetics," he explains.
Mars has been sponsoring research on the health benefits of
chocolate products for years, notes Dr. Schmitz.
"We've published a lot of peer-reviewed papers, well over
100,” he says.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by a
failure to secrete enough insulin, or, in some cases, the cells do not
respond appropriately to the insulin that is produced.
Because insulin is needed by the body to convert
glucose into energy, these failures result in abnormally high levels of
glucose accumulating in the blood.
Diabetes may be a result of other conditions such
as genetic syndromes, chemicals, drugs, malnutrition, infections,
viruses, or other illnesses.
The three main types of diabetes - type 1, type 2,
and gestational - are all defined as metabolic disorders that affect the
way the body metabolizes, or uses, digested food to make glucose, the
main source of fuel for the body.
In prediabetes, blood glucose levels are higher
than normal but not high enough to be defined as diabetes. However, many
people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years, states
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Prediabetes also increases the risk
of heart disease and stroke. With modest weight loss and moderate
physical activity, people with prediabetes can delay or prevent type 2
diabetes.
For glucose to be able to move into the cells of
the body, the hormone insulin must be present. Insulin is produced
primarily in the pancreas, and, normally, is readily available to move
glucose into the cells.
However, in persons with diabetes, the pancreas
produces either too little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond to
the insulin that is produced.
This causes a build-up of glucose in the blood,
which passes into the urine where it is eventually eliminated, leaving
the body without its main source of fuel.
Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death among
Americans, and the fifth leading cause of death from disease. Although
it is believed that diabetes is under-reported as a condition leading to
or causing death, each year, more than 200,000 deaths are reported as
being caused by diabetes or its complications.
Complications of diabetes include eye problems and
blindness, heart disease, stroke, neurological problems, amputation, and
impotence.
Because diabetes (with the exception of gestational
diabetes) is a chronic, incurable disease that affects nearly every part
of the body, contributes to other serious diseases, and can be life
threatening, it must be managed under the care of a physician throughout
a person's life.
Always consult your physician for more information.
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