Cocoa

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

Should we have cocoa? " Yes, but make it dark " may be the answer.

See the below review article and citation and abstract for the

reviewed paper, neither of which are in Medline yet.

Cesar G Fraga

Cocoa, diabetes, and hypertension: should we eat more chocolate?

Am J Clin Nutr 2005 81: 541-542.

See corresponding article on page 611.

Biochemical and physiologic associations among hypertension,

diabetes, and cardiovascular disease have grown steadily, supported

by basic, clinical, and epidemiologic research. The possibilities for

treating these pathologies include pharmacologic approaches,

lifestyle adjustment, and diet modification. The identification of

foods that have cardiovascular health benefits has become a major

public health objective. There is now a large body of epidemiologic

evidence that supports the concept that diets rich in fruit and

vegetables attenuate or delay the onset of certain chronic diseases,

including cardiovascular and related diseases (1). However, the

physiologic and molecular mechanisms by which fruit and vegetables

act to reduce the risk of vascular disease remain elusive. The

existence of data showing that the health benefits of fruit and

vegetables are causally linked to their flavonoid content is a

starting point from which to address such mechanistic uncertainties.

With respect to cardiovascular health, one class of flavonoids, the

flavanols, is receiving increasing attention (2). Cacao, tea, grapes,

and grapefruit are examples of edible plants that are rich in

flavanols. Translational research that relates the consumption of

these foods to cardiovascular health is of particular interest.

In this issue of the Journal, Grassi et al (3) report that the

consumption of dark chocolate improves glucose metabolism and

decreases blood pressure. They studied 15 healthy young adults with

typical Italian diets that were supplemented daily with 100 g dark

chocolate or 90 g white chocolate, each of which provided 480 kcal.

The polyphenol contents of the dark and white chocolate were assumed

to be 500 and 0 mg, respectively. The subjects were divided into 2

groups, each of which ingested one of the types of chocolate for 15

d, ingested no chocolate for a subsequent 7 d, and then ingested the

other chocolate for an additional 15 d. The authors found that the

dark chocolate supplement was associated with improved insulin

resistance and sensitivity and decreased systolic blood pressure,

whereas white chocolate had no effect. No data were shown on the

changes in blood pressure during each study, although such data might

have been useful to differentiate the potential short- and long-term

effects of dark chocolate consumption. Also, it would have been

useful to show insulin sensitivity and blood pressure values for each

individual to assess a potential association between these 2 events.

Nevertheless, the findings of this study are of particular interest

in terms of identifying potentially healthy foods.

Cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are one class of polyphenols

that are present in plants as nonconjugated molecules, including (–)-

epicatechin and (+)-catechin, and as oligomers of these molecules,

also named procyanidins. The concentration of flavanols in any

chocolate depends on both the flavanol content of the cacao plant and

the procedures used for transforming the cocoa into chocolate. Then,

the accurate assessment of the flavanol content is pertinent to

interpreting its biological effects. Although Grassi et al indicated

that 100 g of the chocolate they used contains 500 mg polyphenols,

they did not report how they determined this quantity. Furthermore,

the reference cited justifying the use of this special kind of

chocolate did not explain how the claimed polyphenol content was

determined (4). Nevertheless, chocolate containing 500 mg polyphenol

could contain a relatively high concentration of flavanols (100–200

mg). Therefore, the interpretation that flavanols and procyanidins

contained in the dark chocolate used in this study may be associated

with the observed health effects is tempting but remains speculative.

As Grassi et al indicated, the regulation of nitric oxide (NO)

production by the flavanols present in dark chocolate could explain

its effects on both insulin sensitivity and blood pressure. This

interpretation is supported by other data that have shown effects of

flavanol on NO production (5). However, it is uncertain how flavanols

interact with the biological system to increase NO bioavailability.

Insulin-mediated cell signaling could be one mechanism, because

insulin can modulate several signaling molecules involved in NO-

synthase regulation (6). A second mechanism could be an oxidant-

mediated cell signaling, because flavanols can modulate oxidative

stress and the cell redox state, which in turn defines NO

availability and NO-synthase activity (7). A third mechanism could

involve the renin-angiotensin system (8) through the inhibition of

the angiotensin-converting enzyme (9). This inhibitory effect favors

NO production by preventing the induction of NADPH-oxidase activity

and the resulting production of superoxide anion, which trigger NO

oxidation to peroxynitrite (10), and by preserving bradykinin at

adequate concentrations to maintain NO-synthase activity and NO

production (11). These potential mechanisms of NO regulation, insulin-

and oxidant-mediated signaling, and angiotensin-converting enzyme

function may be physiologically related (12).

Other studies with other flavanol-containing foods, such as tea

and wine, have shown similar effects on vascular and blood pressure

regulation (2). The identification of healthy foods and the

understanding of how food components influence normal physiology will

help to improve the health of the population. ...

Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a

significant

increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure in

healthy

persons

e Grassi, Cristina Lippi, Stefano Necozione, Giovambattista

Desideri, and Claudio Ferri

Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81 611-614

... After a 7-d cocoa-free run-in phase, 15 healthy subjects were

randomly assigned to receive for 15 d either 100 g dark chocolate

bars, which contained 500 mg polyphenols, or 90 g white chocolate

bars, which presumably contained no polyphenols. Successively,

subjects entered a further cocoa-free washout phase of 7 d and then

were crossed over to the other condition. Oral-glucose-tolerance

tests were performed at the end of each period to calculate the

homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and the

quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI); blood pressure

was measured daily. Results: HOMA-IR was significantly lower after

dark than after white chocolate ingestion (0.94 ± 0.42 compared with

1.72 ± 0.62; P < 0.001), and QUICKI was significantly higher after

dark than after white chocolate ingestion (0.398 ± 0.039 compared

with 0356 ± 0.023; P = 0.001). Although within normal values,

systolic blood pressure was lower after dark than after white

chocolate ingestion (107.5 ± 8.6 compared with 113.9 ± 8.4 mm Hg; P <

0.05). ...

Cheers, Al Pater.

[Guest guest]

> +++Hi Ina,

>

> Give me the comparisons you are referring to between pure cocao powder and

cinnamon for the amounts of sugars.

>

> Cocoa butter is only the fat content of cocoa so it's okay to apply to your

skin/lips but often it is contains other undesirable ingredients in addition to

cocoa butter.

>

> Bee

>

Bee, here are the links to both cinnamon and cocoa powder:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/spices-and-herbs/180/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5471/2

I found cocoa butter too and I see there is no caffeine content nor sugar. This

means we can eat it?

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/570/2

I found raw cocoa butter on iherb:

http://www.iherb.com/Navitas-Naturals-Cacao-Power-Raw-Cacao-Butter-16-oz-454-g/1\

2768?at=0

Ina.