Consuming high-flavanol cocoa containing 150 mg (-)-epicatechin can reduce the decline in endothelial function caused by stress after a high-fat meal, according to a recent study.

In this randomized, counterbalanced, crossover, double-blind trial, 23 healthy young adults consumed a high-fat meal (56.5 g of fat) with either high-flavanol (150 mg (-)-epicatechin) or low-flavanol (<6 mg (-)-epicatechin) cocoa, 1.5 hours before performing an 8-minute mental stress task.

Researchers demonstrated that high-flavanol cocoa significantly mitigated the stress-induced decline in endothelial function, as measured by brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD). In the low-flavanol condition, FMD was significantly impaired at both 30 minutes (decline of 1.29%) and 90 minutes post-stress. In contrast, high-flavanol cocoa attenuated FMD impairments at 30 minutes and improved FMD by 1.37% at 90 minutes post-stress. This improvement in FMD is clinically relevant, as a 1% decline in FMD has been associated with a 9-13% increased risk of future cardiovascular events.

The mental stress task successfully induced similar increases in blood pressure, cardiovascular activity, and disruptions to mood in both conditions, confirming consistent stress experiences across interventions. However, there was no significant effect of cocoa flavanols on cerebral oxygenation during stress.

Published in Food & Function, the findings suggest that cocoa flavanols may help protect against endothelial dysfunction during periods of stress and high-fat intake, though effects appear limited to peripheral rather than cerebral blood vessels.

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.