Posts By: Alan Frost

February is American Heart Month so what better time to explore the extraordinary cardiovascular benefits of cocoa flavanols. Can you think of another nutrient, supplement or drug shown to reduce cardiovascular death by over 25% while also supporting exercise performance? Here is a look at five compelling cardio benefits of cocoa flavanols: 1. Decrease Risk… Read more »

Here are five important takeaways from the new U.S. dietary guidelines from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, published in Advances in Nutrition: 400 to 600mg of flavanols, daily, are recommended for improved cardio metabolic health outcomes, including lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.  27% reduction in cardiovascular death observed in the COSMOS cocoa… Read more »

Did you know that cocoa flavanols have been shown to markedly increase circulating stem cells?   Stem cells are the body’s raw materials – cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. William W. Li MD writes in his book “Eat to Beat Disease,” “Your immune cells are regenerated every seven days, so if… Read more »

Big news! New dietary guidelines issued by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend consuming 400 to 600 mg/day of flavanols to improve cardiometabolic health! “Increasing consumption of dietary flavanols may help improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar,” manuscript authors wrote. “A continuously growing body of research demonstrates higher consumption may reduce the… Read more »

A recent systematic review of 19 studies concluded “cocoa flavanols may be a promising tool for managing cognitive decline”. Many of us have celebrated individual studies from Columbia and other research centers showing cognitive benefits with daily cocoa flavanol consumption.  But, of course, there have been a few negative trials as well; particularly those studying… Read more »

Did you know your arteries and vessels expand every time you climb a flight of stairs, go for a run or grab a workout? And did you know cocoa flavanols increase your artery flexibility to support the delivery of incremental oxygen and nutrients during physical exertion? OK, lets unpack this a bit further. The process… Read more »