11.ARCH INTERN MED/VOL 167, APR 9, 2007 WWW.ARCHINTERNMED.COMEffect of Cocoa and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure

A Meta-analysis

Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD; Renate Roesen, PhD; Edgar Scho¨mig, MD

These nutrients  have been shown to affect  numerous intracellular signaling  cascades and to influence the cardiovascular  system by enhancing vascular function and decreasing platelet reactivity.(from the Lecture 3)

       One of the in vivo studies(4) was evaluated the effect of cacao procyanidins (CP) on plasma lipid levels in high cholesterol-fed rats. These results suggested that one of the mechanisms of CP to lower plasma cholesterol is inhibition of intestinal absorption of cholesterol.

Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that the ingestion of monomers of procyanidins prevents coronary heart diseases . In addition, several reports have indicated that the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to oxidation was significantly decreased in humans and high cholesterolemic rabbits by dietary supplementation with cocoa or its procyanidins fraction. Moreover, many reports support the possibility that procyanidins in cacao can prevent cardiovascular disease by improving blood flow rate , improving platelet function , changing inflammatory responses in endothelial cells of blood vessels and so on.(5)