Welcome to the Mars Edge Cocoa Flavanol Science Hub
Our Vision
At Mars Edge, we collaborate with a global network of leading scientific partners to further research into cocoa flavanols and health – and contribute to better lives through nutrition. We do so because we believe that:
Health is more than the absence of disease
We believe it’s important to establish biomarkers of health when assessing the impact of nutrition, rather than rely solely on a definition of health based on the "absence of disease."
Nutrition has a massive impact on health
We believe insights into the role of dietary status and nutrient intake are key to our health.
Bioactives show huge promise
In the context of a healthy diet, we believe there is a need to broaden today’s essential nutrient-centric approach and include bioactive food constituents in scientific assessment and, if warranted, in recommendations for diet and health.
Biomedical research has shown the benefits of cocoa flavanols for heart and brain health
Research shows dietary flavanols–including those derived from cocoa–offer important benefits to human health. For more than 20 years, we have been studying cocoa flavanols to understand their role in supporting health and, potentially even improving outcomes related to certain diseases.
Recommended Reads
Interested in learning more about our cocoa flavanol research program? Check out the latest news and research.
A high flavanol diet may lead to lower blood pressure
A diet including flavanol-rich foods and drinks, like tea, apples or berries, could lead to lower blood pressure, according to the first study using objective measures of 25,000 of UK residents’ diet.
The study found that the difference in blood pressure between those with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake and those with the highest 10% of intake was between 2 and 4 mmHg. Notably, the effect was more pronounced in participants with hypertension.
COSMOS Study
COSMOS (the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamins Outcome Study) is the largest clinical dietary intervention examining the impact of intake of cocoa flanavols and multivitamins on health and risks of heart disease, stroke and cancer.
It examines 22,000 generally healthy men and women over 60 in the U.S., and takes place over 5 years. The trial is run by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
