Who has the best epicatechin supplement? Who has the highest efficacy, while being the lowest cost?
Can't you just search on Amazon and find out within 5 minutes who has the most epicatechins per serving and then compare costs? Yes, of course, but in this article we will review exactly why that is the wrong approach. It is not because "Amazon is evil" blah or "this supplement has transparency and is combined with an ingredient to activate the epicatechins".
It will be about why Epicatechins from natural foods are far superior and which company has the highest amount of naturally epicatechins in the world, and why that is the case.
Table of contents
The Best Epicatechin Supplement
| Vital Purple | Only High Flavanol Cocoa Brand with Highest Amount of Naturally Occurring Epicatechins 228mg |
| SUUDUUL | 600mg Epicatechins Per Serving |
| Black Forest Supplements | 600mg Epicatechins Per Serving |
| Powered By Plants | 600mg Epicatechins Per Serving |
| Voluglow | 700mg Epicatechins Per Serving |
The best epicatechin supplement cannot be found in a pill found on Amazon or in a "High Flavanol Cacao Powder" with standardized Epicatechins. Why? Because these are not naturally occurring and that poses a risk to customers. You need to look for cacao that has naturally occurring Epicatechins from proper cultivation and processing techniques.
The studies referencing the benefits of cocoa flavanols are referencing cacao that is naturally dense in cacao flavanols. The studies have not been done with the current Frankenstein products literally Amazon. Why? Because the studies in regards to improving cardiovascular health with cocoa are referencing cocoa flavanols, not 700mg of Epicatechins. Where are the robust studies backing the amount of flavanols per serving that they have created? There is evidence lacking this.
Unfortunately these products were created by marketing people, trying to out do each other on surface level metrics to sell more products.
How do we know? We are consistently being approached by Epicatechin suppliers so we can have standardization levels, well for you guessed it, marketing. This unnatural addition of cocoa flavanols, specifically epicatechins, should be frowned upon and should be treated as dangerous. This addition can actually stunt the bodies ability to improve it's natural response to stress and it's ability to build it's coping capabilities to stressful events.
Epicatechin Supplement Benefits
The Benefits to Epicatechins supplements lie within their ability to improve cardiovascular health. When people talk about the benefit's of cocoa flavanols, epicatechins are the key antioxidant acting to improve your heart. How?
- Epicatechins reduce LDL Cholesterol
- Epicatechins reduce blood pressure
- Epicatechins assist in creating
- Nitric Oxide & Circulation: Clinical research shows that just 25 mg to 50 mg of daily epicatechin intake helps blood vessels dilate.
- Cognitive Enhancements: Epicatechins are unique because they can cross the blood-brain barrier. High doses support focus, spatial memory, and long-term brain health.
- Muscle & Fatigue Resistance: In functional wellness and sports science, epicatechin doses in the 100 mg–250 mg range are studied for their ability improve the body's ability to prevent fatigue in the muscles ( https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/2/326) and improve cellular energy production.
In this recent study of 100-250mg of Epicatechins per serving, we are not even close to the 500-1000mg serving sizes of high flavanol cocoa powder brands that are adding these flavanols synthetically.
Epicatechins are a specific type of antioxidant which directly correlates to improvements in cardiovascular performance with specific doses and periods of time.
So Why Don't the Epicatechin Supplements and Frankenstein Products Work?
It is always best to get micronutrients from whole foods, processed with the intention of preserving these micronutrients, rather than to supplement. It is not always possible, but with Catechins and Epicatechins, it is. There are plenty of high flavanol foods, but cacao actually has a higher concentration of flavanols(like Epicatechins), than any other food in the world. So why add more? Based on what science should you just add in extra epicatechins?
That's the thing, there isn't strong evidence to support something like 500-1000mg of Epicatechins specifically. That is why you should be weary of online supplements in general. You need other macronutrients to absorb the micronutrients more effectively. Have these brands done the a study on the correct amount Epicatechins to Carbohydrates ratio for optimal absorption? No. You need carbohydrates to absorb the epicatechins effectively, while there are low carb Epicatechins being sold now.
Now we return, what is the Best Epicatechin Supplement? You need a food that has been naturally cultivated and specially preserved that is naturally high in Epicatechins, not an extract. So we return to high flavanol cocoa brands and we look to who is monitoring these Epicatechins. When we see this, who has the highest amount of naturally Epicatechins in the world? Well, one of the only brands actually monitoring this antioxidant is CocoaVia. They have the consistency in science and efficacy. With their efficacy of 70mg of Epicatechins per serving, Vital Purple dwarfs that at 228mg of Epicatechins per serving, completely natural.
Unfortunately, these brands use cocoa as just a tasty vessel to deliver the antioxidants, instead of using technology to naturally preserve the antioxidants.
Vital Purple, on the other hand, prevents the fermentation process to preserve these cocoa flavanols, and Epicatechins, better than anyone else.
Sources:
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3488419/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25733639/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26537937/
Phillip McCauley
Phillip McCauley is the owner of Natural Zing and Vital Purple at TheOrganicCacao.com.
