Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29330660›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of nutrition2019

Theobromine consumption does not improve fasting and postprandial vascular function in overweight and obese subjects.

Lotte Smolders, Ronald P Mensink, Jose J van den Driessche, Peter J Joris, Jogchum Plat

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of nutrition, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02209025 (The Effects of Short-term Theobromine Supplementation on Vascular Function and Intestinal apoA-I Production in Fasting and in the Postprandial State), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 48% 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.

NCT02209025 nacompletednot on this map

The Effects of Short-term Theobromine Supplementation on Vascular Function and Intestinal apoA-I Production in Fasting and in the Postprandial State

TypeinterventionalSponsorMaastricht University Medical CenterRan2014 to 2015Enrolled48ConditionsCardiovascular DiseaseArmsTheobromine, Placebo drink
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. 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 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Lotte SmoldersDepartment of Human Biology and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 50, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Ronald P MensinkDepartment of Human Biology and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 50, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jose J van den DriesscheDepartment of Human Biology and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 50, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Peter J JorisDepartment of Human Biology and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 50, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jogchum PlatDepartment of Human Biology and Movement Sciences, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 50, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. j.plat@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
University Medical Center · USMaastricht University · NL

Funding

Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen 11349
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgoundTheobromine, a component of cocoa, may favorably affect conventional lipid-related cardiovascular risk markers, but effects on flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and other vascular function markers are not known.

objectiveTo evaluate the effects of 4-week theobromine consumption (500 mg/day) on fasting and postprandial vascular function markers.

designIn a randomized, double-blind crossover study, 44 apparently healthy overweight (N = 30) and obese (N = 14) men and women with low HDL-C concentrations, consumed daily 500 mg theobromine or placebo for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, FMD, peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT), augmentation index (AIx), pulse wave velocity (PWV), blood pressure (BP) and retinal microvasculature measurements were performed. These measurements were carried out under fasting conditions and 2.5 h after a high-fat mixed meal challenge.

results4-week theobromine consumption did not change fasting vascular function markers, except for a decrease in central AIx (cAIx, - 1.7 pp, P = 0.037) and a trend towards smaller venular calibers (- 2 µm, P = 0.074). Consuming a high-fat mixed meal decreased FMD (0.89 pp, P = 0.002), reactive hyperemia index (RHI, - 0.30, P < 0.001), peripheral systolic BP (SBP, - 3 mmHg, P ≤ 0.001), peripheral diastolic BP (DBP, - 2 mmHg, P ≤ 0.001), central SBP (- 6 mmHg, P ≤ 0.001) and central DBP (- 2 mmHg, P ≤ 0.001), but increased heart rate (HR, 2 bpm, P < 0.001). Theobromine did not modify these postprandial effects, but increased postprandially the brachial artery diameter (0.03 cm, P = 0.015), and decreased the cAIx corrected for a HR of 75 (cAIx75, - 5.0 pp, P = 0.004) and peripheral AIx (pAIx, - 6.3 pp, P = 0.017).

conclusionTheobromine consumption did not improve fasting and postprandial endothelial function, but increased postprandial peripheral arterial diameters and decreased the AIx. These findings do not suggest that theobromine alone contributes to the proposed cardioprotective effects of cocoa. This trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov under study number NCT02209025.

Indexed as

AgedBlood PressureCross-Over StudiesDouble-Blind MethodEndothelium, VascularFastingFemaleHumansMaleMicrovesselsMiddle AgedObesityOverweightPostprandial PeriodPulse Wave AnalysisRetinal VesselsTheobromineVasodilator AgentsArterial stiffnessEndothelial functionMicrovasculaturePostprandialTheobromine

Identifiers

PMID29330660
PMCPMC6499748
OpenAlexW2783241787

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.