The possibilities for treating these pathologies include pharmacologic approaches, lifestyle adjustment, and diet modification.
The identification of foods that have cardiovascular health benefits has become a major public health objective. There is now a large body of epidemiologic evidence that supports the concept that diets rich in fruit and vegetables attenuate or delay the onset of certain chronic diseases, including cardiovascular and related diseases.
However, the physiologic and molecular mechanisms by which fruit and vegetables act to reduce the risk of vascular disease remain elusive. The existence of data showing that the health benefits of fruit and vegetables are causally linked to their flavonoid content is a starting point from which to address such mechanistic uncertainties.
With respect to cardiovascular health, one class of flavonoids, the flavanols, is receiving increasing attention. Cacao, tea, grapes, and grapefruit are examples of edible plants that are rich in flavanols. Translational research that relates the consumption of these foods to cardiovascular health is very interesting research now a day.
Cocoa, Diabetes and Hypertension
