Table 1.
Baseline and demographic characteristics
| Clinical characteristics | High-flavanol chocolate (n = 33) | Low-flavanol chocolate (n = 41) |
|---|---|---|
|
MED (J/cm
2
) |
0.56 ± 0.14 |
0.61 ± 0.17 |
|
Skin type
˦
I |
15 (45.5) |
16 (39.0) |
|
II |
18 (54.5) |
25 (61.0) |
|
Season at week 12
˦
|
|
|
| Before April 15 |
10 (30.3) |
17 (41.5) |
| After April 15 |
23 (69.7) |
24 (58.5) |
|
Overall skin elasticity (mm) |
|
|
| Arm |
0.76 ± 0.08 |
0.76 ± 0.09 |
| Temple |
0.54 ± 0.11 |
0.55 ± 0.10 |
|
Skin hydration (units
**
) |
|
|
| Arm |
33.34 ± 7.27 |
33.05 ± 6.76 |
| Temple |
41.00 ± 13.02 |
42.39 ± 10.71 |
|
Plasma polyphenol concentrations |
|
|
| Epicatechins (ng/ml) |
0.12 ± 0.48 |
0.11 ± 0.43 |
| Catechins (ng/ml) |
0.20 ± 0.67 |
0.17 ± 0.64 |
|
Dietary polyphenol consumption* |
|
|
| Epicatechins (mg/day) |
10.50 ± 7.54 |
10.65 ± 7.00 |
| Catechins (mg/day) |
11.94 ± 7.91 |
14.35 ± 9.28 |
|
Age (years) |
39.7 ± 14.2 |
39.3 ± 12.0 |
| 20 to 35
˦
|
15 (45.5) |
19 (46.3) |
| 36 to 49
˦
|
8 (24.2) |
12 (29.3) |
| 50 to 65
˦
|
10 (30.3) |
10 (24.4) |
|
Sun exposure habits
˦
|
|
|
| UV exposure (>30 minutes daily): |
|
|
| Weekdays |
23 (69.7) |
30 (73.2) |
| Weekend days |
31 (93.9) |
39 (95.1) |
| Painful sunburn |
23 (69.7) |
28 (68.3) |
|
Educational attainment
˦
|
|
|
| University degree |
24 (72.7) |
36 (87.8) |
| Some university or college education |
9 (27.3) |
5 (12.2) |
|
Anthropometric measures |
|
|
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.6 ± 2.2 | 24.4 ± 3.6 |
**Arbitrary Corneometer® units. Values represent means ± SD.
*Polyphenol consumption was calculated by FFQ.
˦ Values represent number and percentage.