The first results from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) have been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Cocoa flavanols show promise for reducing cardiovascular risk.

COSMOS is a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial involving more than 21,000 generally healthy participants aged 60 and older, conducted over five years. COSMOS investigated if taking a cocoa extract supplement daily reduces cardiovascular disease risk. 

The trial was initiated, designed and led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School. COSMOS was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (now part of GSK Consumer Healthcare) and Mars Edge. Mars Edge provided an investigator-initiated, unrestricted grant for infrastructure support and donated the cocoa extract-containing study pills and packaging.

To read about the results of COSMOS, view the press release issued by Brigham and Women’s Hospital here.