Cocoa extract and inflammation: A large clinical study reports that daily cocoa extract may modestly slow age-related increases in systemic inflammation, a process tied to higher risks of heart disease and other chronic conditions.
Researchers at Mass General Brigham followed nearly 600 adults with an average age of 70 who were randomly assigned to take either 500 mg of cocoa extract or a placebo daily for two years. Participants receiving cocoa showed an 8.4% slower annual increase in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a widely used blood marker of inflammation, compared with the placebo group.
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Results appear in Age and Ageing and form part of the broader COSMOS trial, which has enrolled >21,000 participants to examine health effects of cocoa flavanols and multivitamins.
Cocoa extract capsules deliver concentrated flavanols, plant compounds with anti-inflammatory properties, without the sugar and fat found in chocolate. Prior COSMOS analyses reported a 27% reduction in cardiovascular mortality with several years of cocoa flavanol use; investigators say the new inflammation data may help explain those earlier findings.
Experts cautioned against over-interpretation. The inflammation substudy involved a smaller cohort than the full COSMOS population, and lowering hsCRP does not prove fewer heart attacks, strokes, or longer life. Researchers also noted the trial primarily included healthy, older White adults and tested a single extract, underscoring the need for larger and more diverse studies.
The work was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Mars Edge and Pfizer supplied study capsules and infrastructure. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Science and Technology of China also contributed.
(Source: Mass General Brigham)
