Acute dark chocolate ingestion is beneficial for hemodynamics via enhancement of erythrocyte deformability in healthy humans.
Erythrocyte deformability is an important property of erythrocytes that considerably affects blood flow and hemodynamics. The high content of polyphenols present in dark chocolate has been reported to play a protective role in functionality of erythrocytes. We hypothesized that chocolate might influence erythrocytes not only after repeated chronic intake, but also immediately after its ingestion. Thus, we determined the acute effect of dark chocolate and milk (with lower content of biologically active substances) chocolate intake on erythrocyte deformability. We also focused on selected factors that may affect erythrocyte deformability, specifically nitric oxide production in erythrocytes and total antioxidant capacity of plasma. We determined posttreatment changes in the mentioned parameters 2hours after consumption of chocolate compared with their levels before consumption of chocolate. In contrast to milk chocolate intake, the dark chocolate led to a significantly higher increase in erythrocyte deformability. Nitric oxide production in erythrocytes was not changed after dark chocolate intake, but significantly decreased after milk chocolate. The plasma total antioxidant capacity remained unaffected after ingestion of both chocolates. We conclude that our hypothesis was confirmed. Single ingestion of dark chocolate improved erythrocyte deformability despite unchanged nitric oxide production and antioxidant capacity of plasma. Increased deformability of erythrocytes may considerably improve rheological properties of blood and thus hemodynamics in humans, resulting in better tissue oxygenation.
Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Institute for Heart Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Electronic address: jana.radosinska@fmed.uniba.sk.
Jana
J
Radosinska
Institute of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Martina
M
Horvathova
Institute for Heart Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Karel
K
Frimmel
Institute of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Jana
J
Muchova
Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Maria
M
Vidosovicova
Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Rastislav
R
Vazan
Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Sienkiewiczova 1, 813 71 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Iveta
I
Bernatova
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry*; D000069956:Chocolate; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012016:Reference Values; D055815:Young Adult
D000975:Antioxidants; D028321:Plant Preparations; D059808:Polyphenols; D009569:Nitric Oxide
Chocolate; Erythrocyte deformability; Erythrocytes; Nitric oxide; Trolox equivalence antioxidant capacity assay