%0 Journal Article
%T Regular Consumption of a Flavanol-rich Chocolate can Improve Oxidant Stress in Young Soccer Players
%A Cesar G. Fraga
%A Lucas Actis-Goretta
%A Javier I. Ottaviani
%A Fernando Carrasquedo
%A Silvina B. Lotito
%A Sheryl Lazarus
%A Harold H. Schmitz
%A Carl L. Keen
%J Clinical and Developmental Immunology
%D 2005
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1080/10446670410001722159
%X The consumption of a diet rich in certain flavonoids, including the flavanol sub-class, has been associated with a reduced risk for vascular disease. We evaluated the effects of the regular consumption (14 d) of a flavanol-containing milk chocolate (FCMC) or cocoa butter chocolate (CBC) on variables related to vascular disease risk, oxidative stress and physical activity. Twenty-eight free-living, young (18–20 years old) male soccer players consumed daily 105 g of FCMC (168 mg of flavanols) or CBC (<5 mg of flavanols), as part of their normal diet. The consumption of FCMC was significantly associated with a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (-5 mm Hg), mean blood pressure (-5 mm Hg), plasma cholesterol (-11%), LDL-cholesterol (-15%), malondialdehyde (-12%), urate (-11%) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity (-11%), and an increase in vitamin E/cholesterol (
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdi/2005/606407/abs/