Wine waste chocolate may help hearts, tiny study hints
NCT ID NCT05545865
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This University of California, Davis study is testing whether chocolate made from chardonnay grape leftovers (called marc) can improve blood vessel function and reduce oxidative stress. Five adults with higher body weight and slightly reduced blood vessel flexibility will eat different chocolate products and have their vascular and metabolic responses measured. The goal is to gather initial data to design larger future studies.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Chardonnay marc chocolate and cocoa products
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a tasty way to support heart health using wine-making byproducts.
- What could go wrong
- This is a tiny early study with only 5 people, so results may not apply to everyone. It's designed to gather data, not to prove a treatment works.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 5 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2022
- Expected to finish
-
Aug 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
30 to 50 years
- Sex
-
Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Screening or Visit 1 Reactive Hyperemia Index (RHI; EndoPAT 2000) \< 2.0 * Subject is willing and able to comply with the study protocols. * Subject is willing to participate in all study procedures * BMI 25.0 - 35 kg/m2 Exclusion Criteria: * BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 * Indivduals that weight less than a 110 lbs * Donation of blood within the previous 30 days * Visit 1 Reactive Hyperemia Index (RHI; EndoPAT 2000) ≥ 2.0 * 1 ug/ml and 3 ug/ml collagen screening maximal platelet aggregatory response of \< 65%. * Platelet counts \< 150,000 / ul * Anemia, which includes self report, or a screening hemoglobin and hematocrit that is less than the normal reference range or as diagnosed by study physician upon review of complete blood cell count reports. * Dislike or allergy for nuts, cocoa or grape products * Self-reported use of daily anticoagulation agents including aspirin, NSAIDs * Vegan, Vegetarians, food faddists or those consuming a non-traditional diet * Fruit consumption ≥ 3 cups/day * Vegetable consumption ≥ 4 cups/day * Nut intake ≥ 2 servings/ week * Coffee/tea ≥ 3 cups/day * Dark chocolate ≥ 3 oz/day * Self-reported restriction of physical activity due to a chronic health condition * Self-reported chronic/routine high intensity exercise * Self-reported diabetes * Blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mm Hg * Self-reported renal or liver disease * Self-reported heart disease, which includes cardiovascular events and stroke * Peripheral artery disease, Raynaud's syndrome * Inability to properly place or wear the PAT probes or abnormal measurements on pre- screening PAT * Self-reported cancer within past 5 years * Self-reported malabsorption * Currently taking prescription drugs or supplements. * Supplement use or unwillingness to stop any supplement use, including herbal, plant or botanical, fish oil, oil supplements a month prior to study enrollment. * Indications of substance or alcohol abuse within the last 3 years * smoking, vaping, cannabis use * Current enrollee in a clinical research study.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cardiovascular diseases are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Academic Surge, University of California, Davis
RECRUITINGDavis, California, 95616, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a nurse and a neighbor help tame chronic disease?
- Can a berry extract help athletes bounce back after brutal workouts?
- Two eggs a day put to the test for heart health
- A soft patch that watches your heart beat in real time
- Can a Once-Daily form of tacrolimus spare liver transplant patients from side effects?
- Inhaled drug aims to ease dangerous lung blood pressure in scarred lungs