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.
What this study found
Daily 25 mg (-)-epicatechin for 2 weeks did not improve cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight-to-obese adults with metabolic-syndrome features. Blood pressure was not affected by treatment or by treatment by time interaction; SBP and DBP showed only time effects (P = 0.011 and P = 0.029), with no significant post hoc differences. Glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, oxidized LDL, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and arginine were unchanged, and total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol changed only by time (P = 0.002, P = 0.011, P = 0.005) without significant…
- Study & population
- Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study in overweight-to-obese nonsmoking adults with signs of metabolic syndrome.
- Intervention
- Oral capsules containing 25 mg/day of pure (-)-epicatechin were taken daily for 14 consecutive days.
- Key limitation
- The intervention was short term, with only 2 weeks of supplementation, which limits assessment of longer-term cardiometabolic effects.
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Open PDFOriginal 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 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.