Cocoa flavanols lowered inflammation markers in aging adults.Could cocoa extract supplements, which are rich in cocoa flavanols, help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of age-related chronic disease? In a recent investigation from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), researchers from Mass General Brigham and their collaborators tracked five markers of inflammation linked to aging in participants who took daily cocoa extract supplements for several years.
They observed that levels of hsCRP—an inflammatory protein associated with higher cardiovascular risk—declined in those receiving the supplement. This finding points to an anti-inflammatory effect that may help account for cocoa’s protective influence on heart health.
The results were published in Age and Ageing.Nutritional strategies are gaining attention as promising ways to slow age-related inflammation, often referred to as “inflammaging.” Earlier, smaller studies suggested that cocoa extract could lower inflammatory biomarkers, an effect attributed to flavanols—bioactive compounds present in cocoa beans as well as in foods like berries, grapes, tea, and other plant-based sources.
To build on this evidence and better understand its relevance in humans, scientists launched the large-scale COSMOS trial, designed to investigate whether cocoa extract can influence cardiovascular outcomes and whether its benefits may be tied to a reduction in inflammaging.
Trial design and key findings
“Our interest in cocoa extract and inflammaging started on the basis of cocoa-related reductions in cardiovascular disease,” said corresponding author Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, associate director of the Division of Preventive Medicine and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.
“We also appreciate the important overlap between healthy aging and cardiovascular health, where aging-related inflammation can harden arteries and lead to cardiovascular disease. Because of that, we wanted to see whether multi-year cocoa extract supplementation versus a placebo could modulate inflammaging—and the data suggests it does.”
