Short-term supplementation with flavanol-rich cocoa improves lipid profile, antioxidant status and positively influences the AA/EPA ratio in healthy subjects

We evaluated the short-term effects of a flavanol-rich cocoa (FRC) on lipid profile and selected oxidative stress biomarkers such as oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), glutathione (GSH), and F-2-isoprostane. We also assessed whether FRC modulates plasma levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in healthy individuals. The subjects (n=48) were randomly assigned to a low-cocoa group (1 g/d;-55 mg flavanols) (n=16), middle-cocoa group (2 g/d; similar to 110 mg flavanols) (n=16), or a high-cocoa group (4 g/d; similar to 220 mg flavanols) (n=16). The samples were collected at baseline, at 1, 2, and 4 h post initial consumption of FRC, and after 4 weeks of FRC supplementation. The peak plasma concentration of (-)-epicatechin metabolites reached a maximum level (578 +/- 61 nM; P<.05) at 2 h after ingestion of FRC. After 4 weeks, total cholesterol (-12.37 +/- 6.63; P<.0001), triglycerides (-3.81 +/- 2.45; P<.0001), plasma LDL (-14.98 +/- 6.77; P<.0001), and oxLDL (-95.61 +/- 41.69; P<.0001) decreased in the high-cocoa group, compared with baseline. We also found that plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (+3.37 +/- 2.06; P<.0001) concentrations increased significantly in the same group. Total GSH significantly increased in all FRC-treated groups (+209.73 +/- 146.8; P<.0001), while urinary F-2-isoprostane levels decreased in the middle- (-0.73 +/- 0.16; P<.0001) and high-cocoa (-1.62 +/- 0.61; P<.0001) groups. At the end of the four-week study, a significant reduction of arachidonic acid (AA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratio was observed in the low (-2.62 +/- 2.93; P=.003), middle- (-5.24 +/- 2.75; P<.0001) and high-cocoa (-7.76 +/- 4.96; P<.0001) groups, compared with baseline. Despite the small sample size used in this study, these data extend previous clinical and experimental studies, providing new insights into the health benefits of cocoa flavanols. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Inc.