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Review
. 2014 Feb 21;6(2):844-80.
doi: 10.3390/nu6020844.

Cocoa polyphenols and inflammatory markers of cardiovascular disease

Nasiruddin Khan  1 , Olha Khymenets  2 , Mireia Urpí-Sardà  3 , Sara Tulipani  4 , Mar Garcia-Aloy  5 , María Monagas  6 , Ximena Mora-Cubillos  7 , Rafael Llorach  8 , Cristina Andres-Lacueva  9
Affiliations
Review

Cocoa polyphenols and inflammatory markers of cardiovascular disease

Nasiruddin Khan et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of plant-derived food intake in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The potential bioactivity of cocoa and its polyphenolic components in modulating cardiovascular health is now being studied worldwide and continues to grow at a rapid pace. In fact, the high polyphenol content of cocoa is of particular interest from the nutritional and pharmacological viewpoints. Cocoa polyphenols are shown to possess a range of cardiovascular-protective properties, and can play a meaningful role through modulating different inflammatory markers involved in atherosclerosis. Accumulated evidence on related anti-inflammatory effects of cocoa polyphenols is summarized in the present review.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(I) Main cocoa flavanol monomers: (+)-catechin; (−)-epicatechin; (II) Main cocoa flavanol polymers: (a–e)—dimers: procyanidin B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, respectively; (f)—trimer: procyanidin C1; (g)—tetramer: procyanidin D.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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