Deterioration in endothelial function and arterial stiffness are early events in the development of cardiovascular diseases. In adults, noninvasive measures of atherosclerosis have become established as valid and reliable tools for refining cardiovascular risk to target individuals who need early intervention. With limited pediatric data, the use of these techniques in children and adolescents largely has been reserved for research purposes. Therefore, this scientific statement was written to (1) review the current literature on the noninvasive assessment of atherosclerosis in children and adolescents, (2) make recommendations for the standardization of these tools for research, and (3) stimulate further research with a goal of developing valid and reliable techniques with normative data for noninvasive clinical evaluation of atherosclerosis in pediatric patients. Precise and reliable noninvasive tests for atherosclerosis in youth will improve our ability to estimate future risk for heart attack and stroke. Currently, large longitudinal studies of cardiovascular risk factors in youth, such as the Bogalusa and Muscatine studies, lack sufficient adult subjects experiencing hard outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke, to produce meaningful risk scores like those developed from Framingham data.

Doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.108.19032

This scientific statement presents considerations for clinical management regarding the assessment and risk reduction of select pediatric populations at high risk for premature cardiovascular disease, including acquired arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis. For each topic, the evidence for accelerated acquired coronary artery disease and stroke in childhood and adolescence and the evidence for benefit of interventions in youth will be reviewed. Children and adolescents may be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease because of significant atherosclerotic or arteriosclerotic risk factors, high-risk conditions that promote atherosclerosis, or coronary artery or other cardiac or vascular abnormalities that make the individual more vulnerable to the adverse effects of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Existing scientific statements and guidelines will be referenced when applicable, and suggestions for risk identification and reduction specific to each setting will be described. This statement is directed toward pediatric cardiologists, primary care providers, and subspecialists who provide clinical care for these young patients. The focus will be on management and justification for management, minimizing information on pathophysiology and epidemiology.

Background: Dark chocolate derived from the plant (Theobroma cacao) is a rich source of flavonoids. Cardioprotective effects including antioxidant properties, inhibition of platelet activity, and activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase have been ascribed to the cocoa flavonoids. Objective: To investigate the effects of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate on endothelial function, measures of oxidative stress, blood lipids, and blood pressure in healthy adult subjects. Design: The study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design conducted over a 2 week period in 21 healthy adult subjects. Subjects were randomly assigned to daily intake of high-flavonoid (213 mg procyanidins, 46 mg epicatechin) or low-flavonoid dark chocolate bars (46 g, 1.6 oz). Results: High-flavonoid chocolate consumption improved endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery (mean change = 1.3 ± 0.7%) as compared to low-flavonoid chocolate consumption (mean change = −0.96 ± 0.5%) (p = 0.024). No significant differences were noted in the resistance to LDL oxidation, total antioxidant capacity, 8-isoprostanes, blood pressure, lipid parameters, body weight or body mass index (BMI) between the two groups. Plasma epicatechin concentrations were markedly increased at 2 weeks in the high-flavonoid group (204.4 ± 18.5 nmol/L, p ≤ 0.001) but not in the low-flavonoid group (17.5 ± 9 nmol/L, p = 0.99). Conclusion: Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate improves endothelial function and is associated with an increase in plasma epicatechin concentrations in healthy adults. No changes in oxidative stress measures, lipid profiles, blood pressure, body weight or BMI were seen.