Cerebral blood flow response to flavanol-rich cocoa in healthy elderly humans

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Authors: Farzaneh A Sorond, Lewis A Lipsitz, Norman K Hollenberg, Naomi DL Fisher

Published Date April 2008 , Volume 2008:4(2)

Farzaneh A Sorond^1,2, Lewis A Lipsitz^2,4, Norman K Hollenberg^3,5, Naomi DL Fisher³

¹Department of Neurology, Stroke Division; ²Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA; ³Department of Medicine, Endocrine-Hypertension Division; ⁴Department of Medicine, Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; ⁵Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA

Background and Purpose: Cerebral ischemia is a common, morbid condition accompanied by cognitive decline. Recent reports on the vascular health benefits of flavanol-containing foods signify a promising approach to the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Our study was designed to investigate the effects of flavanol-rich cocoa (FRC) consumption on cerebral blood flow in older healthy volunteers.

Methods: We used transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound to measure mean blood flow velocity (MFV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in thirty-four healthy elderly volunteers (72 ± 6 years) in response to the regular intake of FRC or flavanol-poor cocoa (FPC).

Results: In response to two weeks of FRC intake, MFV increased by 8% ± 4% at one week (p = 0.01) and 10% ± 4% (p = 0.04) at two weeks. In response to one week of cocoa, significantly more subjects in the FRC as compared with the FPC group had an increase in their MFV (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: In summary, we show that dietary intake of FRC is associated with a significant increase in cerebral blood flow velocity in the MCA as measured by TCD. Our data suggest a promising role for regular cocoa flavanol’s consumption in the treatment of cerebrovascular ischemic syndromes, including dementias and stroke.

Keywords: cerebral blood flow, flavanol, cocoa, transcranial Doppler ultrasound