A growing number of clinical studies indicate that regular
ingestion of flavanol-rich cocoa exerts a range of effects potentially
favorable to vascular health – improving endothelial function,
reducing elevated blood pressure, increasing insulin sensitivity,
and suppressing platelet aggregation [1–14] There is recent evidence
that the epicatchin content of cocoa is primarily responsible
for its favorable impact on vascular endothelium, which reflects
both an acute and chronic up-regulation of nitric oxide production
[15,16].