Cacao and soy improve CVD biomarkers in women with type 2 diabetes

Post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes can significantly improve biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by consuming cacao flavonoids and soy isoflavones, a recent study has shown.

The double-blind controlled clinical study, published in Diabetes Care in February, was led by Peter J Curtis, funded by Diabetes UK and supported by Frutarom and Barry Callebaut. The study assessed the effect of dietary flavonoids on CVD risk in post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes on established statin and hypoglycaemic therapy.

A graph demonstrating the study’s findings

Ninety-three medicated post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated 27 g per day of flavonoid-enriched Callebaut Acticoa chocolate containing 850 mg flavan-3-ols (90 mg epicatechin) and 100 mg of isoflavones per day or a matched placebo.

After one year, the women taking the flavonoid-isoflavone supplements showed significant improvement in biomarkers of CVD risk compared to those who took the placebo. Frutarom said the data highlight the benefit of dietary flavonoids to standard drug therapy in managing CVD risk in this group of patients.

“We are incredibly happy with the new study results showing that the soy isoflavones in SoyLife in combination with cacao-flavonoids could help decrease CVD risk,” said Mira Koppert, Manager of the LifeLine brand extension at Frutarom.

SoyLife “is a natural, multi-component ingredient, derived from soy germ, containing not just soy isoflavones but also vitamin E, antioxidants, fibre and many others,” explains Koppert. “These factors and the typical soy germ isoflavone profile of genistein : daidzein : glycitein, which is 15 : 50 : 35 indicate SoyLife is a perfect solution to obtain the health effects associated with soy.”