( ho have migrated to the suburbs of Pana...)Heart-healthy compound in chocolate identified

Through analyses of urine samples from members of both the island-dwelling and mainland Kuna, the researchers found that, compared to their mainland counterparts, the urine of island dwellers had more than twice the levels of urinary nitric oxide -- a chemical compound already known to be associated with healthy flow of blood through the arteries.

The Kuna project was only one part of a five-pronged study approach that the research team conducted in order to determine whether epicatechin meets five previously established criteria for compounds that directly cause improved circulation. In the other four parts of the study the researchers demonstrated that:

• Levels of nitric oxide in the blood were higher in individuals who drank flavanol-rich cocoa, compared to those who drank cocoa beverages with low flavanol levels. This showed that flavanols contained in the cocoa were actually absorbed and subsequently present in the bloodstream.
• Higher levels of the flavanol epicatechin in the bloodstream were accompanied by improved blood flow.
• In the laboratory, flavanols administered to samples of vascular tissue caused the tissue to relax.
• Pure epicatechin consumed by humans had much the same effect as did consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa.

Considered together, these findings point to epicatechin as one of the compounds found in cocoa that has beneficial impacts on cardiovascular health.