Consumption of dark chocolate reduced lipoprotein cardiovascular risk factors in an Ivorian population

A number of studies have demonstrated the beneficial effect of dark chocolate consumption on cardiovascular risk factors. However, no such studies exist for Ivorian populations. Here we carried out a prospective study conducted over a period of 30 days, involving 111 people aged between 19 and 60 years. Each subject was asked to consume 20 g of dark chocolate, containing 70% of cocoa, per day for 30 days. Weight and blood pressure of subjects were recorded before and after eating dark chocolate. Blood samples in fasting state were taken before and after the conclusion of the study to measure glucose, total, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Eating dark chocolate had no effect on weight and blood pressure, but it resulted in a significant decrease (P <0.05) of total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, and in a significant increase (P <0.05) of HDL-cholesterol. These results suggest that a regular consumption of dark chocolate may have a beneficial effect on lipoprotein cardiovascular risk factors.