Metabolomic fingerprint in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease by cocoa intervention

[Scope]: Metabolomics approach is focused on identifying all metabolites present in a biological sample (metabolome). Consumption of cocoa products has been related to health benefits including positive effect on cardiovascular health. [Methods and results]: Twenty volunteers were included in this randomized, crossover, and controlled clinical trial. After a 2-wk washout period, subjects received 40 g/day of cocoa powder with 500 mL skimmed milk (cocoa with skimmed milk intervention) or 500 mL/day of skimmed milk (skimmed milk intervention) for 4-wk. Urine (24 h) samples were collected at baseline and after each intervention and were analyzed by HPLC-hybrid quadrupole TOF in negative and positive ionization modes followed by multivariate analysis. This analysis revealed a marked separation between the cocoa with skimmed milk intervention and skimmed milk intervention and baseline periods. Thirty-nine compounds linked with cocoa intake, including alkaloid metabolites, polyphenol host and gut microbial metabolites (hydroxyphenylvalerolactones and hydroxyphenylvaleric acids), diketopiperazines and N-phenylpropenoyl-l-amino acids were identified. In the case of endogenous metabolites, putative identifications suggested that metabolites linked with carnitine metabolism and sulfation of tyrosine were decreased by the consumption of cocoa. [Conclusion]: LC-MS metabolomics strategy allows the defining of a complex metabolic profile derived from cocoa phytochemicals. Likewise, the identification of endogenous markers could lead to new hypotheses to unravel the relationship between cocoa intake and cardiovascular diseases. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.Funded by: CICYT. Grant Numbers: AGL2009–13906-C02–01, AGL2010–10084-E.Peer Reviewe