Continuous intake of polyphenolic compounds containing cocoa powder reduces LDL oxidative susceptibility and has beneficial effects on plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations
A major paradigm shift has occurred w/in the pharmaceutical company lately. For the past however many years, pharma companies have put out “blockbuster” drugs–high dollar drugs like Celebrex and Neurontin that, in reality, don’t add much new to the treatment possibilities. The development of these drugs is very expensive, but the payoff is vast. But a funny thing happened on the way to the bank.
The most recent of these drugs that was believed to be a blockbuster in CVD treatment was to raise HDL levels. The human trials were a dismal failure, leading some to speculate that the end of the blockbuster days were over. Can’t say I’d lose any sleep. One the far end of the scale from the blockbuster, high cost drug, in this study we find that good ‘ole fashioned cocoa powered raised HDL levels by 24%, all without killing a single study participant.