Casual Chocolate Consumption and Inhibition of Platelet Function

Kristiina Valdman

Estonian University of Life Sciences

Food Technology I

Introduction

Chocolate consumption has been associated with several cardioprotective effects

Most of the similar studies focused on ingesting large amounts of chocolate

The aim – focusing on the influence of commercially available chocolate in small doses

Methods (1)

Study sample – 1535 healthy adults, including 576 African American

A complete physical examination and cardiovascular history

Participants on a dietary – prohibition of consuming foods affecting platelet function, including chocolate

However, 9% reported having eaten chocolate in 24 hours before measurements

Methods (2)

After 12-hour-fast during the night, blood was collected via venipuncture into BD Vacutainer tubes

A single voided urine specimen was also collected Platelet function in whole blood under conditions of

shear stress was assayed using the Platelet Function Analyser (PFA)-100 test

Urinary 11-dehydro thromboxane B2 (Tx-M) measurements were taken

Results (1)

No outstanding disparities in demographic or cardiac risk factors between those who consumed chocolate and those who did not, except a small difference in total cholesterol levels

The sample was relatively young and well-educated No unusually high prevalence of cardiac risc factors The average amount of cocoa consumed among

chocolate consumers – 5,9 grams The most frequently consumed chocolate products –

cookies, mixed-content candy bars and ice cream

Sample characteristicsCHOCOLATE (N=141) NO CHOCOLATE (N=1394)

Age 43±12 45±13Education 13±2 13±2Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg 121±17 121±16Fasting glucose, mg/dL 96±30 96±28Body mass index, kg/m 30±7 30±7Total cholesterol, mg/dL 208±41 198±41Total cholesterol, mg/dL 208±41 198±41Fibrinogen, mg/dL 382±116 390±120von Willebrand's factor, % 84±45 89±58Female, % 55 57African American, % 40 37Current Smoking, % 29 25Diabetes mellitus, % 10 8Diabetes mellitus, % 10 8Hypertension, % 33 32Obesity, % 46 38

Estimated Average Amounts of Cocoa in Chocolate-Containing Items Consumed (n=141)

a represents the average amount of cocoa in the average portion consumed for a given item. bNo. represents the number of people who consumed the item. cRanking represents the popularity of the chocolate sources consumed.

CONSUMED (N=141) COCOA ESIMATES, Ga No.b [Rankingc]Ice cream 11.2±22 21 [3]Candy bars 10.0±7.9 25 [2]Pudding 9.7±5.7 5 [8]Chocolate (pure) 6.5±6.0 11 [5]Beverages 5.5±2.3 6 [7]Cookies 3.5±4.9 29 [1]Cookies 3.5±4.9 29 [1]Cakes 3.4±3.6 18 [4]Brownies 1.4±0.5 3 [9]Donuts 0.4±0.4 5 [8]Power Bars 0.3±0.3 5 [8]Other (cereal, frosting, hard candy) 0.1±0.2 8 [6]

Results (2)

Significant differences in PFA closure times An absolute difference also in measurements of Tx-

M Despite predicitive factors, such as age, sex,

cigarette smoking etc, results were significant

Analyses

Chocolate consumption in those 24 hours was significantly and independently associated with a decrease in platelet function in both an ex vivo test of aggregation (PFA closure time) and an in vivo test of platelet activation (Tx-M)

Conclusion Even a modest consumption of chocolate can

achieve an impact to platelet functioning Cardioprotective quality mains unclear An important bridge between laboratory-based,

tightly controlled chocolate feeding studies and epidemiological data

References

Official Journal of The American Society For Preventive Cardiology

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1520-037X.2007.06693.x/full

Thank you for your attention!