Introduction
Oxidative stress and the subsequent accumulation of reac- tive oxygen species represent a basic unifying mechanism behind atherosclerosis development under different path- ological conditions and creates a major rationale for the use of antioxidants in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (Singh and Jialal 2006; Lo€nn et al. 2012).
There is a growing body of both epidemiological and clinical evidence that cocoa flavanols (catechins and picatechins) and cocoa alkaloids (theobromine and the- ophylline) can be used effectively for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (Flammer et al. 2012; Stote et al. 2012; Cicero and Borghi 2013).
These claims have significant support from multiple in vivo and in vitro studies describing the antioxidant effect of cocoa flavanols and alkaloids resulting in modulation of nitric oxide production and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) turnover (Park 2005; Gu€l"cin 2012; Fern andez Vallinas et al. 2013). However, cocoa-derived products remain extremely underrepresented in the modern human diet. In general, cocoa flavanols contribute only 0.1% of the total daily flavonoid intake even in developed coun- tries with an established cocoa-consuming culture (Ilow et al. 2012).
Therefore, even a moderate increase in the habitual intake of cocoa flavanols seems to hold substan- tial promise for human health. Indeed, meta-analysis studies show that the health effects of cocoa flavanols, in particular, their effect on systemic blood pressure reflect the amount of flavanols ingested (Ellinger et al. 2012). However, a simple increase in the habitual intake of com- mercially available cocoa-based products may not guaran- tee for the appearance of the anticipated health benefits of flavanols due to poor intestinal absorption of cate- chins/epicatechins from natural cocoa products (Li and Hagerman 2013).
More disturbingly, commercially avail- able cocoa-based products including dark chocolate do not have strict manufacturing requirements or packaging/ labeling specifications disclosing phenolic content or rec- ommended daily intake (Rusconi and Conti 2010). No official analytical methodology for the quantification of phenolic compounds has been introduced yet (Rusconi and Conti 2010).
Therefore, any public health recommen- dation relating to the use of cocoa polyphenols for health-related reasons remains impossible for the moment. Scrupulous investigation of the health benefits of cocoa polyphenols in the form of polyphenol-rich foods or isolated phenolic compounds is an urgent task for modern food science (Habauzit and Morand 2012).
The development of new nutraceutical formulations of dark chocolate with high bioavailable cocoa flavanols holds promise among various options.
In the present paper, we report the reduction in sys- temic blood pressure and serum lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) in prehypertensive clinically healthy volun- teers after ingestion of a proprietary lycopene-containing formulation of dark chocolate L-tugTM, which has been developed by Lycotec Ltd (Cambridge, UK) using lyco- some technology (Petyaev 2012).