Cocoa for the heart: Extract found to lower inflammaging

A new study finds that cocoa extract supplements may reduce inflammation and prevent age-related chronic diseases. It is packed with flavanols, which researchers believe could explain the heart-protective benefits.

The COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) examined age-related inflammation markers in participants taking cocoa supplements daily over several years. 

Researchers at Mass General Brigham, US, saw that the hsCRP marker, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, was reduced in participants taking the supplements.

The publication in Age and Ageing calls for more attention to plant-based foods for cardiovascular health, including flavanol-rich cocoa products, says corresponding author Howard Sesso, Sc.D., M.P.H, associate director of the Division of Preventive Medicine and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“Our interest in cocoa extract and inflammaging started on the basis of cocoa-related reductions in cardiovascular disease.”

Cocoa extract supplements decreased cardiovascular disease mortality by 27% (Image credit: Mars Edge).“We appreciate the important overlap between healthy aging and cardiovascular health, where aging-related inflammation can harden arteries and lead to cardiovascular disease. Because of that, we wanted to see whether multi-year cocoa extract supplementation versus a placebo could modulate inflammaging, and the data suggest it does,” says Sesso.

COSMOS study

The COSMOS trial, carried out between 2014 and 2020 and led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, involved 21,442 participants over 60. 

It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, which found that cocoa extract supplements decreased cardiovascular disease mortality by 27%.

The new study examined blood samples of 598 COSMOS participants, examining pro-inflammatory biomarkers hsCRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. It also looked at anti-inflammatory protein IL-10 and the immune-mediating protein IFN-γ.

Changes in the biomarkers were measured at baseline, one, and two years, where hsCRP levels dropped 8.4% annually compared to placebo. Researchers add that the other biomarkers remained consistent or increased mortality.

They note that a tiny reduction in IL-6 in only females warrants further study. The researchers add that they will continue to monitor the COSMOS trial to learn if cocoa and multivitamins can stop severe inflammaging or other aging factors.

In other cocoa research highlights, another paper found that drinking cocoa high in flavanols in combination with a fatty meal can counteract some of the impact of fatty food and protect the vascular system from stress.

Another study found that aside from cocoa, drinking coffee or black tea may boost vascular health.