A nutritive dose of pure (-)-epicatechin does not beneficially affect increased cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight-to-obese adults-a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study.
Abstract
Background Regular cocoa consumption has been shown to reduce blood pressure, improve lipid profiles, and increase insulin sensitivity and flow-mediated dilatation in healthy adults. It is assumed that these effects can be attributed to polyphenolic ...
Background Regular cocoa consumption has been shown to reduce blood pressure, improve lipid profiles, and increase insulin sensitivity and flow-mediated dilatation in healthy adults. It is assumed that these effects can be attributed to polyphenolic cocoa ingredients such as flavanols, especially to (-)-epicatechin. Nutritive intervention studies to prove this hypothesis are scarce. Objective We aimed to evaluate whether regular consumption of 25 mg of pure (-)-epicatechin can affect increased cardiometabolic risk factors [blood pressure, glucose and lipid metabolism, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation] in overweight-to-obese subjects. Design Forty-eight overweight or obese nonsmokers [body mass index (kg/m2) ≥25.0, ages 20-65 y] with clear signs of metabolic syndrome (blood pressure ≥130/85 mm Hg, glucose >5.55 mmol/L, or triglycerides >1.69 mmol/L or cholesterol >5.2 mmol/L in fasting blood) and without chronic diseases were included in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. Participants ingested daily 25 mg (-)-epicatechin (encapsulated) or placebo for 2-wk in random order (2-wk washout). After an overnight fast, blood pressure was monitored and blood samples were collected before and after both treatments. Anthropometric data were determined at each visit. Dietary intake was assessed by 3-d food records during both treatments and during run-in and washout phase. Results Supplementation of pure (-)-epicatechin did not significantly affect blood pressure, glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, triglycerides, or total, LDL, or HDL cholesterol. Oxidized LDL, vitamins C and E, and β-carotene in plasma were not modulated. Body weight, fat mass, fat distribution, and the intake of energy, nutrients, and (-)-epicatechin from food remained stable throughout the study. Conclusions Daily intake of 25 mg of pure (-)-epicatechin for 2 wk does not reduce cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight-to-obese adults. Thus, the hypothesis that the cardioprotective effects of regular cocoa consumption are exclusively ascribed to (-)-epicatechin should be reconsidered. The study was registered at the German Clinical Trial Register as DRKS-ID: DRKS00009846.