Dark chocolate and yerba mate in people with HIV
What it found
In people with HIV, 15 days of dark chocolate raised HDL cholesterol, while yerba mate did not change inflammatory or oxidative markers.
The trial was in 92 people.
What they found
Studies in people
HDL cholesterol
HDL cholesterol was higher after dark chocolate than at baseline. The mean HDL was 52.1 mg/dL after dark chocolate, compared with 49.8 mg/dL at baseline.
Yerba mate and HDL
HDL cholesterol after yerba mate was 50.3 mg/dL, not significantly different from baseline or from placebo mate.
Inflammatory markers
No changes were seen in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, or white blood cells after any supplement.
Oxidative stress marker
TBARS, a measure of lipid peroxidation, did not change with dark chocolate or yerba mate. Mean TBARS throughout the study was 14.5 micromol/L.
Animal and lab studies
Yerba mate in animals
In a rat study mentioned by the authors, yerba mate did not change HDL cholesterol or TBARS, but did reduce the area of atherosclerotic plaques.
What the authors conclude
“The results showed that the consumption of 65 g dark chocolate (average of 2148 mg total phenols) was sufficient to increase HDL-c concentrations.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that 65 g of dark chocolate was enough to raise HDL cholesterol in people with HIV.
- They report that 3 g of soluble yerba mate for 15 days did not change inflammatory or oxidative markers.
- They suggest the lack of effect from yerba mate may be due to the infection itself, antiretroviral therapy, the short intervention, the amount given, or the polyphenol content.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see if cocoa and yerba mate, which are rich in flavonoids, could improve inflammation and oxidative stress in people with HIV, a group at high risk of heart problems.
They ran a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial in 92 people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy for at least 6 months. Each person took 65 g dark chocolate or placebo, and 3 g yerba mate or placebo, for 15 days each, with 15-day washouts in between.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial lasted only 15 days for each supplement, so it cannot show what would happen over a longer time.
- The results are in people with HIV on treatment, so they may not apply to other groups.
- The study cannot prove that dark chocolate would reduce heart disease risk, only that it raised HDL cholesterol.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of São Paulo, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Effect of Chocolate and Yerba Mate Phenolic Compounds on Inflammatory and Oxidative Biomarkers in HIV/AIDS Individuals
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Petrilli AA, Souza SJ, Teixeira AM, et al (2016). Effect of Chocolate and Yerba Mate Phenolic Compounds on Inflammatory and Oxidative Biomarkers in HIV/AIDS Individuals. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu8050132Free full textPubMed 27223302DOI
Summary written 29 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error