Chocolate Consumption and Platelet Function

Flavonoid-rich foods and beverages have putative vascular health benefits, including protection against ischemic stroke and reductions in platelet reactivity.1- 5 Tea, grapes, apples, and cocoa contain a class of flavonoids known as the flavanols, which includes epicatechin and catechin. Flavanols can polymerize, producing theaflavins and thearubigins (found in tea) and procyanidins (found in grapes, apples, and cocoa). We previously reported reductions in platelet primary hemostasis and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa expression 2 and 6 hours after subjects consumed 300 mL of cocoa containing a total of 897 mg of flavanols and procyanidins.3 We examined whether smaller amounts of chocolate could affect platelet function.