Abstract:
Background: Natural cocoa and cocoa products are
increasingly attracting the attention of many investigators
and the general public because of their potential
nutritional and medicinal properties and other claims.
Objective: This study sought to evaluate the effect the
consumption of natural cocoa powder has on some
biochemical and hematological indices in the rat, as a
way of establishing the biochemical basis for some of
the claims made for the consumption of cocoa and its
products.
Methods: Male Wistar albino rats were fed natural
cocoa powder in an aqueous suspension for 48 days,
Biochemical and haematological indices were then
determined from blood samples.
Results: The treatment had no significant effect on
ALT, AST, ALP, uric acid, total protein, haemoglobin
and haematocrit levels. However, there were significant
reductions in the total cholesterol level (2.52 ±
0.07 mmol/L) versus (1.88 ± 0.23 mmol/L), LDL –
cholesterol level (1.09 ± 0.03 m mol/L) versus (0.74 ±
0.06 m mol/L), and in triglyceride level (1.28 ± 0.15 m
mol/L) versus (1.08 ± 0.04 m mol/L) after treatment (p
<0.05). The results further indicated significant increases
in white blood cell (7.53 ± 0.19 × 103/mm3)
versus (10.40 ± 1.66 × 103/mm3) and platelet counts
(379± 112.0× 103/mm3) versus (583.8±11.4×
103/mm3).
Conclusion: The administration of natural cocoa powder
to rats caused significant reductions in total serum
cholesterol levels, LDL-cholesterol levels and triglycerides
with a significant increase in white blood cell
counts.