Calcium supplementation of chocolate: effect on cocoa butter digestibility and blood lipids in humans.
BACKGROUND
The digestibility of cocoa butter was reported in animal but not human studies to be low (60-70% and 89-94%, respectively). These differences could be due to the much higher ratio of calcium to fat (by wt) in the diet of rats (0.04-0.18) than in that of humans (0.01).


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether supplementation of chocolate with 0.9% calcium (by wt), as an integral part of a Western diet, reduces absorption of cocoa butter and hence the digestible energy value of chocolate. We also assessed the effect of calcium supplementation on the blood lipid profile.


METHODS
Ten men were fed control diets containing 98-101 g chocolate/d with or without a 0.9%-Ca supplement (0.9 g Ca/d) for 2 periods of 2 wk each. The study was conducted with use of a randomized, double-blind crossover design under free-living conditions but with strict control of food intake.


RESULTS
Calcium supplementation of chocolate increased fecal fat 2-fold (from 4.4 to 8.4 g/d; P < 0.0001) and reduced the absorption of cocoa butter by 13.0%. This was due mainly to an increase in the excretion of palmitic and stearic acids (3.4 g/d), which reduced the absorbable energy value of the chocolate by approximately 9%. This supplementation also reduced plasma LDL cholesterol by 15% (P < 0.02); HDL cholesterol was unchanged.


CONCLUSIONS
Calcium supplementation can be used as a means of reducing the absorbable energy value of chocolate. Supplementation with 2.25% CaCO3 had no effect on the taste of chocolate, was well tolerated by the subjects, and reduced LDL cholesterol in a short-term study.
Shahkhalili
Y
Y
Nestec Ltd Nestlé Research Center Lausanne, Switzerland. yasaman.shahkhalili@rdls.nestle.com
Murset
C
C
Meirim
I
I
Duruz
E
E
Guinchard
S
S
Cavadini
C
C
Acheson
K
K
D000328:Adult; D001682:Biological Availability; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004063:Digestion / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D013649:Taste
D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D013229:Stearic Acids; D019308:Palmitic Acid; C052387:cocoa butter