Cocoa Offers Consistent Benefits for Heart Health, February 2012
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Consumption of cocoa and the compounds it contains offers significant and consistent benefits to blood flow and blood pressure, according to a new meta-analysis of 42 studies.
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Chronic consumption of cocoa was associated with a 1.3 percent improvement in blood flow, while acute consumption was associated with a 3.4 percent improvement, according to findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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Researchers led by Lee Hooper from the University of East Anglia also noted cocoa’s "previously unreported promising effects on insulin."
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The health benefits of polyphenols from cocoa have been gathering increasing attention in the national media. To date studies have reported potential benefits for cardiovascular health, skin health and even brain health.
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The majority of research into the potential benefits of cocoa has revolved around cardiovascular benefits of the flavanols (also known as flavan-3-ols or catechins) and particularly the monomeric flavanol (–) epicatechin.
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Recently, however, scientists from the University of Reading in England and from Mars, Inc., reported that cocoa may also affect gut microflora and possess prebiotic potential.
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The reviewers pooled data from 42 randomized controlled trials of chocolate, cocoa, or flavan-3-ols. Results showed that acute and chronic cocoa consumption were associated with a 3.4 percent and 1.3 percent increase, respectively, in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of a blood vessel’s healthy ability to relax.
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This is consistent with a recent review by Harvard scientists that reported a 1.5 percent increase in FMD (Journal of Nutrition).
The new meta-analysis also found that cocoa consumption reduced diastolic blood pressure by an average of 1.60 mmHg and mean arterial pressure by 1.64 mmHg.
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"Marginally" significant effects on cholesterol levels were reported.
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"Chocolate or cocoa improved FMD regardless of the dose consumed, whereas doses greater than 50 mg epicatechin/d resulted in greater effects on systolic and diastolic BP," wrote Hooper and her co-workers.
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"Larger, longer-duration and independently-funded trials are required to confirm the potential cardiovascular benefits of cocoa flavan-3-ols," they answered.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Published online ahead of print.

By Dr. Barry Sears
Polyphenols are all the rage today, ranging from super fruits to chocolate to red wine. So what’s the real science behind these polyphenols?

To begin with they are very complex molecules that give fruits and vegetables their color. But they do a lot more than bring color to the diet. They are the main defense system for vegetables and fruits. Since fruits and vegetables can’t run from bacterial and viral invaders, they have to stay and fight with their own defenses. The most powerful of these are polyphenols. Because of their structural complexity, they were virtually ignored until 1995. Early studies found that they are powerful anti-oxidants. More detailed research indicated some polyphenols were also functioning as anti-inflammatory agents that could inhibit the master inflammatory switch (NF-kB) found in every cell. Now more detailed molecular biological experiments indicate that a select few polyphenols can activate the “enzyme of life” known as AMP kinase. This particular key enzyme controls most of the metabolic pathways in the body. When it is activated, you regain control of your metabolism, live longer, and perform better.

There are more than 4,000 known polyphenols. However, there is one class of polyphenols that does the best job in activating this AMP kinase. This unique class of polyphenols is known as delphinidins, primarily found in blueberries. The richest source comes from Patagonia blueberry or the maqui berry. This particular source of delphindins only grows in the harsh arctic-like climate in Chile near the South Pole and contains 13 times more delphindins than blueberries.


...if you want more energy,
better control of blood sugar,
and less inflammation,
take your delphinidins.

The Chilean government has taken a keen interest in developing the maqui berry as a natural resource similar to overseeing the copper and fishing industries as sources of national wealth. As a result, they have put a lot of research money into studying the properties of isolated delphinidins from the maqui berry. When purified, these delphinidins have great promise in not only enhancing athletic performance (we were giving them to the Miami Heat, added to players’ daily breakfast shakes last year), but also helping to manage blood sugar levels. At a recent research scientific conference, I reported on some of these initial human results conducted in Chile with purified delphindin extracts from the maqui berry. I am not easily impressed, but the data I reported on even impressed me since it was so effective at such a low concentration.

So if you want more energy, better control of blood sugar, and less inflammation, take your delphinidins. You can either go to Patagonia in Southern Chile and pick them yourself and then travel to Italy to purify the delphindins from the raw berry, or just take a capsule a day of polyphenols containing delphinidins.

Zone Labs now has two such products. The first new product is Polyphenols Rx, with each capsule containing 20 mg of delphindins. The other new product is Polyphenols XT, with each capsule containing 75 mg of delphindins.

For more information, go to zonediet.com. Click on Products and then Polyphenols.

thanks for the info, techie, but I still think it is better to get our polyphenols from natural food sources, rather than in supplement form.

My two cents, powdered cocoa beans v. powdered maqui berries, both sound like natural food sources in my book. :)

Sue, I was referring to the Zone Labs products. It is no longer a natural food if it is packed into a capsule.

Cocoa powder is packed into a can or a bag and the berry powder is packed into edible capsules. Neither one originates in a powdered state out in the wild, in nature. The term "natural" has been an ongoing point of contention for many years in the food industry.

How about eating the berry?

I can't speak out regarding the Zone supplement, as I have not really taken the time to research it, but many of the polyphenol supplements that are out there are highly concentrated sources. I find it hard to believe that amount of polyphenol contained in that one capsule came from a berry that was similar in size/weight, and the contents of the capsule is a highly concentrated powder, resulting in a large dosage of polyphenol that one could not possibly consume in one sitting, if eating the food naturally.

Besides, wouldn't it be much more pleasurable to just eat the berry? (maybe not the cacao berry, but this issue is much more broad than that).

Here's what the Zone says about polyphenols:

"Why ZoneDiet Polyphenols?
We understand that getting your daily dose of fruits and vegetables is hard. That’s why with a single pill, ZoneDiet Polyphenols provides 5 servings of real fruits and vegetables. It’s the simplest, most inexpensive way to meet your 7-13 daily servings. In addition, an adequate dose of purified polyphenols protect the omega-3 fatty acids from oxidation in the body."

REALLY?? You mean 5 servings of fruits and vegetables fit in one capsule? That is amazing! When I eat 5 servings of fruit/veggies, I can't fit that on my plate!

This is what I mean.... this supplement is NOT food in its natural form. It is always better to get your polyphenols direct from their natural sources. There are reasons beyond what we can explain why the polyphenols were placed in certain foods. Theoretically, we get more benefit from the polyphenols by ingesting all parts of the food, by chewing, by enzymatic reactions that occur when we physically break down the food to release the valuable nutrients. Swallowing a capsule takes MANY steps out of that process!

Not to say that one isn't getting any benefit from taking the supplements. Obviously some of that will be absorbed. For people who are known to not eat enough of these foods, perhaps this would be of more value. But, come on... we are ZONERS! We are eating platefuls of colorful veggies and fruits all the time.

If one wants to take polyphenols as an "insurance policy", there is nothing wrong with that. But, lets not fool ourselves into believing that this is a natural form of food.

(stepping off of my soapbox now)

Hi Cranberry,

I'm not sure if you were addressing the previous 2 posts to me, but if you were, wow. I was commenting on the word "natural". I don't plan to discuss the pros/cons of polyphenol supplementation in this thread. And, to answer you qn, I wouldn't know where find fresh maqui berries here in CT if I did want to eat some. :D

Good point, Sue. Since those berries are not available here, I have to wonder just how necessary they are, or is it possible to get similar type of polyphenol from something else that might be grown here.

We humans have existed HOW many years? ...and if this berry is so scarce, I really doubt the necessity.

Perhaps beneficial, but probably not necessary, and probably could be fulfilled by another source.

I was addressing my post to anyone who was interested in the topic, not just to you, although you seemed to be interested in responding (hehe)

actually, Sue, if you go back and re-read the previous posts, you will see that the original post was basically addressed to techie, who seems to be absent through the rest of this conversation...

I'm a sucker for chocolate and I love hearing any health benefits from it. Had some today in fact. Used the suggestion John gave a while back of mixing cocoa powder with olive oil. Mixed it up just a little bit and used it to go with cherries for a dessert after my meal. Just enough to feed my chocolate crave without the refined sugar of other chocolates. Yum!

Its nice that there are capsule options for those who desire them, but I'm horrible at keeping up with pills. I can barely remember a vitamin and now fish oil. But I do think available options are a good thing.

Even MORE on Cocoa (Dark Chocolate) ...
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Patients with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes showed improvement after three months of consuming epicatechin-enriched cocoa (dark chocolate), U.S. researchers said.
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Dr. Francisco J. Villarreal of University of California, San Diego, said epicatechin is a flavonoid found in dark chocolate.
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The researchers examined five profoundly ill patients with major damage to skeletal muscle mitochondria -- structures responsible for most of the energy produced in cells. These "fuel cells" are dysfunctional as a result of both type 2 diabetes and heart failure, leading to abnormalities in skeletal muscle, Villarreal said.
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Full story:
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNew...DHB_120306

AND, even more on Cocoa:
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A research letter published in the Archives of Internal Medicine indicated that, in a study with over 970 men and women, frequent chocolate consumption was linked to lower BMI.
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"Our findings—that more frequent chocolate intake is linked to lower BMI—are intriguing. They accord with other findings suggesting that diet composition, as well as calorie number, may influence BMI. They comport with reported benefits of chocolate to other elements of MetS," wrote lead author Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, and her co-workers.
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"Compatible experimental findings in rats given epicatechin from cocoa suggest the association could be causal."
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The health benefits of polyphenols from cocoa have been gaining notoriety. To date, studies have reported potential benefits for cardiovascular health, skin health and even brain health.
.
The majority of science looking into the potential benefits of cocoa has revolved around cardiovascular benefits of the flavanols (also known as flavan-3-ols or catechins), and particularly the monomeric flavanol (-) epicatechin.
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This is not the first time that cocoa and the compounds it contains has been reported to have potential for weight management. Scientists from the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition and the Pennsylvania State University reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Vol. 59, pp. 5305-5311, 2011) that polyphenols from cocoa inhibited various digestive enzymes in a dose-dependent manner, meaning the more consumed, the greater the effect.
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The San Diego-based scientists report preliminary data from an analysis of almost 1,000 men and women aged between 20 and 85 who were free of heart disease, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol levels. Chocolate consumption habits were assessed using a questionnaire, while intakes of fruit, vegetables and saturated fat were factored into the calculations.
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Results showed that, although chocolate consumption was linked to higher calories and increased intakes of saturated fat, more frequent chocolate consumption was linked to lower BMI.
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Commenting on the potential active ingredients in chocolate, the researchers noted that catechins in chocolate possess antioxidant properties and they may influence metabolism.
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"Cocoa-derived epicatechin, specifically, is reported to increase mitochondrial biogenesis and capillarity, muscular performance and lean muscle mass and to reduce weight without changing calories or exercise in rodent studies," they said. "Parallel processes in humans, if present, could underlie our findings."
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The researchers did not measure the types of chocolates consumed nor did they provide information on the quantities consumed by the study participants.
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"A randomized trial of chocolate for metabolic benefits in humans may be merited," they concluded.
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Archives of Internal Medicine 172(6):519-521, 2012