Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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Myeloma, Heart Health and Cacao
Myeloma, heart health and cacao? Managing Chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy and myeloma is an ongoing process for me. I am a long-term MM survivor who was diagnosed with chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy (CIC) in late 2010.
A large and increasing number of studies have identified cardiotoxicity as a common side effect of cancer treatment in general and for MM treatment specifically. The challenge with chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy is that it can be either a short-term or a late-stage side effect of chemotherapy.
As MM patients live longer and longer, I think heart damage will become more and more common as a side effect of treatment.
The issue then becomes what therapies are there to treat heart health?
5 Health Benefits of Cacao
When I first developed CIC, I was prescribed a drug called metoprolol. Long story short, I had a reaction to this standard heart therapy and decided to research complementary heart health therapies that I could take daily with whatever conventional therapies I did.
Exercise, cacao powder, CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids, and the list goes on and on. I added so many non-conventional heart-healthy therapies to my diet that I was able to increase my ejection fraction and lower my blood pressure without adding any conventional medications to my diet.
As the video linked above explains, cacao offers other health benefits in addition to heart health.
Email me at David.PeopleBeatingCancer@gmail.com to learn more about managing your MM with both conventional and non-conventional therapies.
Good luck,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Cocoa Extract Supplements May Lower Inflammation and Protect Your Heart
Key Takeaways
- A study found that cocoa extract supplements might help reduce inflammation and lower heart disease risk.
- Cocoa beans have flavanols that can improve heart health by lowering inflammation.
- It’s best to get flavanols through whole foods.
Age-related inflammation, also referred to as “inflammaging,” is associated with several chronic illnesses, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
A new study found that a daily cocoa extract supplement may help slow the increase in a key marker of inflammation, potentially lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
What the Study Found
The study, published in Age and Ageing as part of the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), analyzed five markers of inflammaging in a random sample of 598 older adults who took cocoa extract supplements for two years.1
Researchers collected blood samples at the start, midpoint, and end of the study. They found that the participants’ high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)—a marker linked to a higher risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease—dropped by about 8% each year.
These findings build on earlier COSMOS results involving more than 21,000 older adults, which showed a 27% reduction in cardiovascular death and fewer major cardiovascular events among those taking cocoa extract supplements.2
“This study is one of several in COSMOS that seek to understand how cocoa extract—through its cocoa flavanol content—may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other vascular outcomes previously seen for cocoa in other smaller clinical trials,” said study co-author Howard D. Sesso, ScD, MPH, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The Role of Flavonols
The study focused on cocoa extracts rich in cocoa flavanols, a type of plant-based polyphenol that acts as an antioxidant in the body.
These flavonols are known to have anti-inflammatory effects by neutralizing free radicals in the body.3
“We know the cocoa bean contains bioactives, flavanols, to improve cardiovascular health through improvements in hsCRP for inflammation and other vascular mechanisms,” Sesso said.
Does This Mean You Should Eat More Chocolate?
The answer isn’t so simple. The processing that goes into making a chocolate bar tends to reduce flavanol content, said Lauri Wright, PhD, RDN, the director of nutrition programs and an associate professor at USF College of Public Health.
In fact, many chocolate bars or candies do not guarantee having flavanols at all. The extra calories, added sugar, and saturated fat in chocolate may also counteract any benefits, Wright added.
“The study’s result doesn’t imply ‘eat more chocolate’—it implies that a purified cocoa flavanol extract, in controlled dose, may have health benefits,” Wright said. “In practice, using whole-food sources such as dark chocolate is appealing, but matching the 500 mg flavanol dose is challenging without supplementation.”
Should You Take Cocoa Extract Supplements?
While it may be tempting to reach for a cocoa extract supplement due to the study’s findings, Wright suggests starting with whole food sources first.
“It’s wise to prioritize a flavanol-rich diet such as dark chocolate with minimal processing, berries, tea, grapes, etc. before reaching for supplements,” she said. “These provide other beneficial nutrients and fiber.”
Your overall lifestyle matters, too, as flavanols won’t operate in isolation. Their benefits likely depend on overall dietary patterns such as antioxidant content, gut microbiome, and other vitamins and minerals, she explained.
“Don’t overinterpret,” Wright said. “A modest reduction in one marker is not proof of prevention of disease by itself — it is a promising signal, not definitive proof.”
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