{"id":112576,"date":"2025-10-08T19:20:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=112576"},"modified":"2025-10-08T19:20:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T00:20:33","slug":"112576","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=112576","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Cocoa Extract Supplements Could Reduce Aging-Related Chronic Inflammation.<\/a><\/p>\n

An extract made from cocoa beans may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing age-related inflammation, according to a recent study by an international team of researchers.<\/p>\n

The scientists behind the study expanded on previous research<\/a> suggesting that flavanol-rich food and drink, such as chocolate, significantly reduced death by cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

Found in cocoa beans and other foods such as green tea, apples, and grapes, flavanols have long\u00a0been associated<\/a>\u00a0with a variety of health improvements, including a\u00a0role in reducing damage<\/a> caused by excess inflammation.<\/p>\n

Inflammation worsens with age in a process commonly referred to as ‘inflammaging<\/a>‘, and is associated with a host of age-related health problems (from\u00a0chronic pain<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Alzheimer’s disease<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If cocoa supplements can reduce that inflammation, the potential benefits are significant.<\/p>\n

“Our interest in cocoa extract and inflammaging started based on cocoa-related reductions in cardiovascular disease,”\u00a0says<\/a> Howard Sesso, an epidemiologist from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US.<\/p>\n

“We wanted to see whether multi-year cocoa extract supplementation versus a\u00a0placebo<\/a>\u00a0could modulate inflammaging \u2013 and the data suggests it does.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"hsCRP
hsCRP levels were elevated in blood tests. (Li et al.,\u00a0Age and Ageing<\/em>, 2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The researchers enlisted 598 healthy adults aged 60 and over who were given either a 500 milligram cocoa extract supplement\u00a0or a placebo<\/a> each day over two years. Across this period, inflammatory biomarkers in the blood were measured.<\/p>\n

Taking the cocoa extract significantly slowed the rise in hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein<\/a>), a general biomarker for systemic inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease. The greatest effect was detected among those who started the study period with a very high risk of cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

It’s not clear what these results mean for overall health. Future research could investigate changes in cytokines<\/a>, with signs suggesting a relationship exists between some of these small proteins and the cocoa extract.<\/p>\n

“Interestingly, we also observed an increase in interferon-\u03b3, an immune-related cytokine, which opens new questions for future research,”\u00a0says<\/a> cardiologist and population geneticist Yanbin Dong, from Augusta University in the US.<\/p>\n

“While cocoa extract is not a replacement for a healthy lifestyle, these results are encouraging and highlight its potential role in modulating inflammation as we age.”<\/p>\n

A previous investigation<\/a>\u00a0called the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study found cardiovascular-related deaths were\u00a027 percent lower<\/a> in a group of seniors taking cocoa supplements.<\/p>\n

HsCRP may be driving down that cardiovascular disease risk by reducing inflammation, with research hinting at biological mechanisms that may dial down the background hum of the body’s immune system.<\/p>\n

It’s noted that the study was in part funded by investigator-initiated grants from Mars Edge, a segment of Mars Incorporated. While this doesn’t invalidate the findings, confectionery companies could arguably have a vested interest in health-related outcomes of taking cocoa extract.<\/p>\n

In the future, such supplements could be taken as a way to manage inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease, meaning better health for a longer period of time.<\/p>\n

“This study calls for more attention to the advantage of plant-based foods for cardiovascular health, including cocoa products rich in flavanols,” says<\/a> Sesso.<\/p>\n

“It reinforces the importance of a diverse, colorful, plant-based diet \u2013 especially in the context of inflammation.”<\/p>\n

The research has been published in\u00a0Age and Ageing<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cocoa Extract Supplements Could Reduce Aging-Related Chronic Inflammation. An extract made from cocoa beans may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing age-related inflammation, according to a recent study by an international team of researchers. The scientists behind the study expanded on previous research suggesting that flavanol-rich food and drink, such as chocolate, … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=112576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112577,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112576\/revisions\/112577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=112576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=112576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=112576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}