Wellness

[Mindy D]

@Biftu You should know that cadmium is often found in cocoa powder. Consumer Labs published results of their testing of cocoa powders for cadmium. You can get the results online but you have to pay to belong to their site to see the results. 

[sidsmom]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

It was JUST a study, a very small study and it sounds like it was the first to investigate this cocoa thing so it means nothing clinically.  Don't substitute a cup of cocoa for your medication.  If specialists think it's promising, the next step would be for much larger studies by many different researchers. 

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@chrystaltree 

ITA

I can't help but think people will be running to Walgreens to swoop up all the 75% off Valentines Dark Chocolate candy thinking they are doing something good 'cuz they read it somewhere.

Walking an additional 45yd in a long span of SIX months?

I don't consider that a huge success....especially when there are 

other, more effective methods. 

[Mindy D]

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@sidsmom wrote:

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@chrystaltree wrote:

It was JUST a study, a very small study and it sounds like it was the first to investigate this cocoa thing so it means nothing clinically.  Don't substitute a cup of cocoa for your medication.  If specialists think it's promising, the next step would be for much larger studies by many different researchers. 

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@chrystaltree 

ITA

I can't help but think people will be running to Walgreens to swoop up all the 75% off Valentines Dark Chocolate candy thinking they are doing something good 'cuz they read it somewhere.

Walking an additional 45yd in a long span of SIX months?

I don't consider that a huge success....especially when there are 

other, more effective methods. 

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Excuse me, but the subjects of the experiment have PAD and were unable to do this before the experiment. They were not well, they had reduced blood flow to the calves and feet. The reason the American Heart Association is on board with these results is because these results were brought about without surgical intervention. To READ THE FULL STUDY, you can go to the link and from there you can open the FULL STUDY which explains why this development is so desireable for these patients. I would think that you, with a plant based lifestyle, would be happy that a plant based intervention...cocoa, derived from plant sources, was so successful as an intervention. Know that chocolate always requires some treatment to the cacao beans. The product is rich in plant epicatechin and this substance effects the cells in the lower legs of persons with PAD. "People with lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) have shorter six-minute walk distance compared to people without PAD  Without an effective therapeutic intervention, people with PAD typically decline in walking performance over time" The Six Minute Walk Test is just a method used to assess walking performance because it simulates walking performance in daily life. 

[QueenDanceALot]

I doubt people will confuse cacao with a Hersey bar.

Unless they want to.

[Mindy D]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

It was JUST a study, a very small study and it sounds like it was the first to investigate this cocoa thing so it means nothing clinically.  Don't substitute a cup of cocoa for your medication.  If specialists think it's promising, the next step would be for much larger studies by many different researchers. 

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You are correct. This is just a pilot study with a small sample size. No one is suggesting that PAD patients quit their medicine or even try this themselves. The study is also not about prevention of PAD in heathy persons. I would not say that this means nothing clinically. I will say that the results set the stage for more investigation. This study's results piggyback on results of cocoa and chocolate in other research. This is a growing body of knowledge. There's excellent information about the roles of all the types of FLAVANOLS here. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwjNjdrE2tbnAhUOnawKHWdTCUI...

[Mindy D]

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@Biftu wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

@Mindy D   That was a very interesting read.  I wonder if eating  92% cacao would work just as well.

I usually eat a small square of this every day because I love the taste and it's supposed to be good for you.

Anyhow, that article is a good excuse for me to keep on eating it.  I think it is so much better to use natural foods to keep one healthy.

Thanks for posting.

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@Carmie The paper said that chocolate squares or bars would not have the same effect as cocoa powder. Plus it was the cocoa powder plus extra flavonoids from epicatechin that produced the effect. I'd like to know where I could get the epicatechin. I'd just mix this with cocoa powder. Another major consideration is that this experiment was done with subjects that already had PAD, so doing this as a preventative has never been tested yet.I

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 I would like to know where to get this cocoa powder too.  No luck searching for the 85%  as suggested in the article.  Could only find Lindt bars with 85%.  My friend was recently diagnosed with PAD and it would be worth a try.

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@Biftu They used Hershey's Dark. See the original post. You can buy this.

[Judaline]

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Biftu wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

@Mindy D   That was a very interesting read.  I wonder if eating  92% cacao would work just as well.

I usually eat a small square of this every day because I love the taste and it's supposed to be good for you.

Anyhow, that article is a good excuse for me to keep on eating it.  I think it is so much better to use natural foods to keep one healthy.

Thanks for posting.

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@Carmie The paper said that chocolate squares or bars would not have the same effect as cocoa powder. Plus it was the cocoa powder plus extra flavonoids from epicatechin that produced the effect. I'd like to know where I could get the epicatechin. I'd just mix this with cocoa powder. Another major consideration is that this experiment was done with subjects that already had PAD, so doing this as a preventative has never been tested yet.I

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 I would like to know where to get this cocoa powder too.  No luck searching for the 85%  as suggested in the article.  Could only find Lindt bars with 85%.  My friend was recently diagnosed with PAD and it would be worth a try.

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@Biftu They used Hershey's Dark. See the original post. You can buy this.

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I'm sure Hershey's would be high in sugar. I would like to research a natural cocoa with the required ingredients. 

Thanks for the article, OP. 

[GrailSeeker]

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@Judaline wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Biftu wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

@Mindy D   That was a very interesting read.  I wonder if eating  92% cacao would work just as well.

I usually eat a small square of this every day because I love the taste and it's supposed to be good for you.

Anyhow, that article is a good excuse for me to keep on eating it.  I think it is so much better to use natural foods to keep one healthy.

Thanks for posting.

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@Carmie The paper said that chocolate squares or bars would not have the same effect as cocoa powder. Plus it was the cocoa powder plus extra flavonoids from epicatechin that produced the effect. I'd like to know where I could get the epicatechin. I'd just mix this with cocoa powder. Another major consideration is that this experiment was done with subjects that already had PAD, so doing this as a preventative has never been tested yet.I

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 I would like to know where to get this cocoa powder too.  No luck searching for the 85%  as suggested in the article.  Could only find Lindt bars with 85%.  My friend was recently diagnosed with PAD and it would be worth a try.

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@Biftu They used Hershey's Dark. See the original post. You can buy this.

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I'm sure Hershey's would be high in sugar. I would like to research a natural cocoa with the required ingredients. 

Thanks for the article, OP. 

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By itself, I don't think Hershey's Cocoa powder has any sugar at all.   

My grandma used to make chocolate milk for us by using a teaspoon of cocoa powder, about a teaspoon of sugar, and just a tiny dash of salt, dissolved in very hot tap water to melt the cocoa.  That was the syrup to which regular milk in a glass was added.  

Hershey's cocoa powder, for baking, is very bitter if sugar or sweetner is not added. 

[Toppers3]

Thank you for posting this study, @Mindy D . 

I always appreciate the time and effort that you take to post and to share information here with the rest of us. 

If one little advancement in health care can possible lead to a break-through in helping a painful condition that someone suffers from, it's worth reading about and sharing about, as far as I'm concerned.

This is a terribly painful condition, and I used to know someone who suffered from it and who could barely walk far due to the pain and discomfort that this condition caused them.