Cocoa flavanols, naturally occurring compounds in cocoa beans which can remain high in concentration through minimal processing, have been widely studied in recent decades for the various health benefits they are able to provide. In addition to their well-known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which make organic high flavanol cocoa better than many other common dietary staples for mitigating the risk of stroke, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes among others while also improving age-related mental function and skin health, cocoa flavanols are extensively cited as potential factors in improving vascular health.
By helping reduce blood pressure and enhancing blood flow through improved elasticity and dilation of the arteries among a host of other positive effects, high flavanol cocoa can be majorly beneficial when looking for organic, natural dietary options for keeping these systems healthy, especially later in life. Read on for a more in-depth look at five of the many ways regular consumption of high flavanol cocoa can improve vascular health:
Table of Contents
1.) Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects
While vascular health is just one of the many areas where high flavanol cocoa’s well-studied antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties allow it to assist in disease prevention, it is a particularly important one as an unhealthy blood pressure or blood flow can lead to several other conditions, especially those relating to the skin and heart. By reducing oxidative stress on blood vessels and helping reduce inflammation, high flavanol cocoa can reduce damage to vascular lining while also preventing atherosclerosis, or the buildup of fats and cholesterol in the arteries that can lead to poor blood flow and blood clots.
Reviews of prior research on the topic, such as those performed by Steinberg et al. in 2003 and Andújar et al. in 2012, foreground these antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as among the most well-studied of high flavanol cocoa’s positive health effects. In fact, Andújar et al. assert in their findings that high flavanol cocoa has a greater antioxidant capacity than several other commonly cited options such as green tea, black tea, and red wine.
Key Takeaways:
High flavanol cocoa can contribute to a healthy blood pressure and blood flow
High flavanola cocoa can reduce damage to the blood vessels by preventing stress
High flavanol cocoa can help prevent conditions that lead to blood clots
Vital Purple: High Flavanol Cocoa
Single Origin Fine Aroma Arriba Nacional Cacao, Not Crossbred
Regeneratively Grown in The Mountains of Ecuador
Superior in Minerals, Polyphenols, Antioxidants, Theobromine, Anthocyanins, Magnesium
Micronutrients of Vital Purple
900 Mg of Flavanols Per Serving
240 Mg of Polyphenols Per Serving
9 Mg of Theobromine Per Serving
520 Mg of Antioxidants Per Serving
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2.) Reduced Blood Pressure
One of the most well-understood risk factors in the development of multiple categories of life-threatening disease is high blood pressure, and this is another area where high flavanol cocoa’s positive health effects can come into play. Many studies show that, specifically in people with already high blood pressure or other cardiovascular risk factors, regular intake of high flavanol cocoa can be an effective way to assist in the prevention of age-based hypertension and other blood pressure-related adverse health effects.
In their 2017 paper, researchers Karen Ried et al. aggregated nearly three dozen previous studies concerning high flavanol cocoa’s effect on blood pressure and found statistically significant results suggesting it can be a factor in its reduction. While at the same time advocating for longer-term trials to determine the effect of high flavanol cocoa on blood pressure over the course of more than a few months, they note that “even small reductions in blood pressure may substantially reduce cardiovascular risk”, suggesting that this effect is indeed able to present over the short term as well.
Key Takeaways:
High flavanol cocoa can help mediate age-related hypertension
High flavanol cocoa can help those at greater risk of cardiovascular disease
High flavanol cocoa can reduce blood pressure over the short term
3.) Enhanced Vascular Elasticity
One of the many health issues that can occur particularly in older adults and those at greater risk of cardiovascular mortality is a decrease in vascular elasticity, or the ability of blood vessels to expand and contract as needed with respect to a changing blood pressure. Vascular elasticity is especially important during physical activity or other periods of stress, and high flavanol cocoa, through its antioxidant properties, may significantly protect the arteries and allow them to continue adapting when necessary.
In 2021, however, researchers Rosalind Baynham et al. showed that high flavanol cocoa’s positive effects on stress as it relates to blood flow are not limited to older adults. Their trials demonstrated an improved response on the part of the vascular system to episodes of mental stress in young and otherwise healthy adults, specifically with respect to forearm blood flow and blood pressure. They conclude by suggesting a diet rich in cocoa flavanols as a method for improving vascular health during stress, an effect that appears to be present across all adult age groups.
Key Takeaways:
High flavanol cocoa can help arteries adapt to a changing blood pressure
High flavanol cocoa does this particularly during periods of stress
High flavanol cocoa can produce this effect across all adult age groups
High Flavanol Cocoa
4.) Enhanced Nitric Oxide Production
Related to the previous effects is the production of nitric oxide, which helps keep the blood vessels properly dilated, thereby regulating both blood flow and blood pressure in the body. Proper nitric oxide stimulation is important for the prevention of many adverse cardiovascular health effects, and research has shown this to be a method by which regular intake of high flavanol cocoa is able to aid in overall vascular health, with one 2006 study on male adults demonstrating a positive effect on its circulation.
The study focused on the flavanol epicatechin, a chemical that is seen in high concentrations in organic, minimally processed cocoa. The researchers noted that the consumption of pure epicatechin closely mimics the effects of high flavanol cocoa itself, suggesting that these health benefits are easily replicable without taking unappealing dietary supplements. In their findings, Hagen Schroeter et al. assert a causal link between consumption of high flavanol cocoa and the benefits to vascular health increased nitric oxide production provides.
Key Takeaways:
High flavanol cocoa can help keep blood vessels properly dilated
High flavanol cocoa can allow for a healthy nitric oxide production in the blood
High flavanol cocoa contains high concentrations of chemicals that support this
5.) Improved Endothelial Function
As discussed, the buildup of fats and cholesterol in the arteries is a key factor in multiple chronic health issues from blood clots to life-threatening cardiovascular disease, with the endothelium or the inner lining of blood vessels being an important site at which the body attmepts to prevent this. Endothelial function, or the ability of this inner lining to prevent the vascular system from becoming overly constricted or stressed, is another area where regular consumption of high flavanol cocoa can prove beneficial to one’s overall vascular health.
Improved endothelial function carries with it a whole host of other positive health effects as well, such as proper fluid and electrolyte balance and regulation of the blood-brain barrier. In addition to these, Schroeter et al. further note in their paper on the subject that improved flow-mediated dilation, or the ability of blood vessels to dilate in response to a need for increased blood flow, is yet another benefit of high flavanol cocoa related to the increased nitric oxide production they measured.
Key Takeaways:
High flavanol cocoa can help keep the blood vessels’ inner lining healthy
High flavanol cocoa can help regulate electrolytes and the blood-brain barrier
High flavanol cocoa can help the body respond to a need for increased blood flow
Phillip McCauley
Phillip McCauley is the owner of Natural Zing and Vital Purple at TheOrganicCacao.com.
Writer / Research Assisant: Trey Norbey
