Effects of polyphenolic‐rich dark chocolate/cocoa and almonds on established and emerging cardiovascular risk factors: study design

Almonds are recognized for their cholesterol‐lowering effects and polyphenolic‐rich dark chocolate/cocoa for blood pressure and vascular health benefits. This research seeks to evaluate the individual, additive, and synergistic effects of almonds and/or dark chocolate/cocoa on CVD risk. A randomized, 4‐period, crossover controlled feeding study was designed to compare the effects of a healthy American diet (49% CHO, 17% PRO, 34% FAT, 13% SFA, 276 mg/d CHOL, no almonds, dark chocolate, or cocoa/d) to three diets incorporating almonds (49% CHO, 16% PRO, 35% FAT, 8% SFA, 153 mg/d CHOL, 1.5 oz. almonds/d, no dark chocolate or cocoa/d), dark chocolate/cocoa (53% CHO, 16% PRO, 32% FAT, 11% SFA, 157 mg/d CHOL, no almonds/d, 43g dark chocolate/d, 11g natural cocoa/d), or both (50% CHO, 16% PRO, 34% FAT, 8% SFA, 116 mg/d CHOL, 1.5 oz. almonds/d, 43g dark chocolate/d, 11g natural cocoa/d). The study population will be 40 men and women (BMI 26–35 m/kg 2 ) with LDL‐C in the 25–95 th percentile. We hypothesize that the almond, dark chocolate/cocoa, and almond + dark chocolate/cocoa diets will improve CVD risk factors compared to the control diet; however, the greatest improvements will be observed with the almond + dark chocolate/cocoa diet on the basis of lipids/lipoproteins, blood pressure, vascular function, inflammatory response, and (anti)oxidant status. Grant Funding Source : Almond Board of California and Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition