Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27493901›Full record

ArticlePulse (Basel, Switzerland)2016

Relation of Habitual Chocolate Consumption to Arterial Stiffness in a Community-Based Sample: Preliminary Findings.

Georgina E Crichton, Merrill F Elias, Ala'a Alkerwi, Saverio Stranges, Walter P Abhayaratna

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Pulse (Basel, Switzerland), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Georgina E CrichtonAlliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, S.A., Australia.
Merrill F EliasDepartment of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA.
Ala'a AlkerwiEpidemiology and Public Health Research Unit (EPHRU), Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Strassen, Luxembourg.
Saverio StrangesEpidemiology and Public Health Research Unit (EPHRU), Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Strassen, Luxembourg.
Walter P AbhayaratnaCollege of Medicine, Biology, and Environment, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia.
Luxembourg Institute of Health · LUAustralian National University · AUUniversity of South Australia · AU

Funding

Arterial stiffness, blood pressure and cognitionR01HL081290 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MAINE ORONO · PI ELIAS, MERRILL F · 2005 to 2009
$2.7M
New CVD risk factors for lowered congitive functioningR01HL067358 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MAINE ORONO · PI ELIAS, MERRILL F · 2001 to 2005
$2.3M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL067358NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL081290
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe consumption of chocolate and cocoa has established cardiovascular benefits. Less is known about the effects of chocolate on arterial stiffness, a marker of subclinical cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to investigate whether chocolate intakes are independently associated with pulse wave velocity (PWV), after adjustment for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors.

methodsProspective analyses were undertaken on 508 community-dwelling participants (mean age 61 years, 60% women) from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS). Habitual chocolate intakes, measured using a food frequency questionnaire, were related to PWV, measured approximately 5 years later.

resultsChocolate intake was significantly associated with PWV in a non-linear fashion with the highest levels of PWV in those who never or rarely ate chocolate and lowest levels in those who consumed chocolate once a week. This pattern of results remained and was not attenuated after multivariate adjustment for diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors and dietary variables (p = 0.002).

conclusionsWeekly chocolate intake may be of benefit to arterial stiffness. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms that may mediate the observed effects of habitual chocolate consumption on arterial stiffness.

Indexed as

Arterial stiffnessChocolateCocoaPulse wave velocity

Identifiers

PMID27493901
PMCPMC4949358
OpenAlexW2346373169

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.