Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39901369›Full record

Trial reportMolecular nutrition & food research2025

Cardiometabolic Impact of Encapsulated Cocoa Powder and Pure Cocoa Ingredients Supplementation: A Comparative Placebo-Controlled RCT in Adults.

Janina Weigant, Anuschka Afchar, Meike Barzen, Lisa Dicks, Benno F Zimmermann, Matthias Schmid, Leonie Weinhold, Birgit Stoffel-Wagner, Jörg Ellinger, Peter Stehle and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Molecular nutrition & food research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. 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

11 authors.

Janina WeigantFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Anuschka AfcharFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Meike BarzenFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Lisa DicksFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Benno F ZimmermannFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Food Sciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9877-7066
Matthias SchmidFaculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology (IMBIE), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Leonie WeinholdFaculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology (IMBIE), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Birgit Stoffel-WagnerFaculty of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Jörg EllingerFaculty of Medicine, Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Bonn, University Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Peter StehleFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Nutritional Physiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Sabine EllingerFaculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, Institute of Nutritional and Food Science, Human Nutrition, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9988-9406

Funding

the University of Bonn and Hochschule Niederrhein, University of Applied Sciences
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Consuming cocoa rich in flavan-3-ols (particularly epicatechin [EC]) may reduce vascular stiffness and blood pressure (BP) and improve serum lipid profiles. Because interventional studies on pure EC exhibited inconclusive results, the role of other cocoa ingredients such as methylxanthines (MX) on vascular health was assumed. This study aimed to systematically compare the effects of flavanol-rich cocoa and its major components EC and MX on vascular function and serum lipid levels. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 75 healthy young adults ingested capsules containing either (i) flavanol-rich cocoa powder, (ii) EC, (iii) MX, (iv) EC + MX, or (v) placebo (n = 15 per group) daily for 4 weeks. Capsules provided equal amounts of EC and/or MX as the cocoa capsules. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), BP, endothelin-1, and lipids were investigated before and after intervention. No group-specific statistically significant differences in aortic PWV (p = 0.410) or any other parameters (p ≥ 0.05) were observed between before and after the intervention. Daily intake of neither flavanol-rich cocoa nor pure cocoa ingredients influenced vascular function and lipid profiles in healthy adults. Consequently, RCTs involving subjects with increased cardiometabolic risk may clarify the effects of EC and MX as cocoa components on cardiovascular health parameters. Trial Registration: URL: https://drks.de/search/en/trial. Unique identifier: DRKS00022056.

Indexed as

CacaoDietary SupplementsAdultBlood PressureCapsulesCatechinChocolateEndothelin-1FemaleFlavonoidsHumansLipidsMalePowdersPulse Wave AnalysisVascular StiffnessCapsulesCatechinEndothelin-1flavan-3-olFlavonoidsLipidsPowdersXanthinescardiometabolic risk factorsepicatechinflavanol‐rich cocoamethylxanthinespulse wave velocity

Identifiers

PMID39901369
PMCPMC11874242

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Registered trials

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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.