Is daily consumption of natural cocoa beverage sufficient to end diabetes?

Strengthening diagnostic stewardshio for AMR in Africa

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a notable chronic condition globally, and causes substantial perturbation of cellular metabolism in affected individuals.
The geographical distribution of T2DM is not uniform across the continents; the highest burden is observed in low‑ and middle‑income countries, where prevalence is rising very rapidly due to epidemiological transitions, lifestyle changes, and limited access to treatment services. Up till the 1980s, T2DM was predominantly presented by middle aged and older adults. However, the incidence has increased in the subsequent years across all spectrum of age groups, including adolescents and young adults (Perng et al., 2023). An individual is diagnosed with T2DM when the body is unable to produce sufficient insulin or resists the cellular effect of the hormone, leading to persistent hyperglycaemia (fasting blood glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL or glycated haemoglobin ≥ 6.5%). Clinical management of T2DM usually relies on a combination of lifestyle modifications and pharmacological therapy.
A study by Dordoye et al. (2026) reports the wound healing potential of natural cocoa in a rat model induced for T2DM using nicotinamide and Streptozotocin. Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) contains a wide range of bioactive compounds including polyphenols, methylxanthines and plant sterols. Flavanol (a polyphenol) is a strong antioxidant and also contributes to improving cardiovascular health (Tušek et al., 2024). Theobromine is the principal methylxanthine in cocoa, and functions as an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase and an antagonist for adenosine receptor (Martínez‑Pinilla et al., 2015)