A recently completed four-week double-blind study on 160 subjects showed that consumption of cocoa powder reduced LDL and raised HDL. There have been quite a few studies that have shown the reduction of “bad” cholesterol and the increase of “good” cholesterol. Another interesting finding of the study was that oxidized LDL was reduced. Oxidized LDL may be linked to early stages of heart disease.
A link to the abstract of the study is here.
I don’t have a subscription to be able to read the entire study, but if I read the abstract correctly, they gave cocoa powder as a hot drink to the subjects. That is quite different than eating a dove bar, even if it is a dark chocolate bar. The polyphenols would most likely be more concentrated and the amount of saturated fat would be substantially less.
Some other recent articles of interest:
Why Cocoa May Help Heart Health
Discovery Health :: Cardio vs. Weight Training
Cocoa may help reduce cholesterol levels :: News :: Natural and Nutritional Products Industry Center
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