Compounds In Special Cocoa May Enhance Brain Blood Flow And Improve Cognitive Health
A special cocoa made to retain naturally occurring compounds called
flavanols may have the potential to help maintain healthy brain
function and chart the course for future research that could lead to
new solutions for preventing cognitive decline and dementia, according
to a panel of scientists who presented new data at the annual meeting
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Several studies suggest that consumption of a special cocoa made to be
rich in flavanols, a naturally occurring nutrient abundant in fresh
cocoa, may improve blood vessel function. Now, scientists believe the
potential blood flow benefits associated with consumption of this
flavanol-rich cocoa may extend to the brain -- which could have
important implications for learning and memory.
"This research is impressive in that multiple laboratories are coming
to the same conclusion about this flavanol-rich cocoa, and the findings
give us completely new insights into how this flavanol-rich cocoa may
impact health in a variety of ways not previously known," said
symposium organizer Harold H. Schmitz, Ph.D., chief science officer at
Mars, Incorporated, which helped sponsor the symposium and has
supported research on cocoa flavanols for more than 15 years. "The
findings raise the possibility that products utilizing this cocoa could
be developed to help maintain healthy brain function throughout several
life stages. More research examining the potential of this cocoa in
this important area of public health need is clearly warranted."
During the session entitled "The Neurobiology of Chocolate: A
Mind-Altering Experience?," a panel of scientists presented evidence
from several recent studies that demonstrated the enhanced brain blood
flow after study participants consumed a specially formulated
flavanol-rich cocoa beverage that was supplied by Mars, Incorporated.
One study, conducted by Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, from the University of
Nottingham Medical School in the United Kingdom, found that the
consumption of this cocoa resulted in regional changes in blood flow in
study participants, suggesting that cocoa flavanols may have
therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular impairments within
the brain itself.
"Our study showed that acute consumption of this particular
flavanol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased blood flow
to grey matter for 2 to 3 hours," Macdonald said. "This raises the
possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be
beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function
among older adults or for others in situations where they may be
cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation."
Norman K. Hollenberg, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham
and Women's Hospital, presented new findings based on his ongoing work
with the Kuna Indians of Panama, who are heavy consumers of cocoa. The
indigenous population still living on the Islands near Panama consume a
type of cocoa rich in flavanols on a daily basis and experience
unusually low rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Hollenberg's latest findings, which are published this month in the International Journal of Medical Sciences,
used death certificates to compare cause-specific deaths of
island-dwelling Kuna to those who live on mainland Panama -- who do not
drink the flavanol-rich cocoa that is so prominent on the islands.
Hollenberg and colleagues found the Kuna Indians living on the islands
had significantly lower rates of heart disease and cancer compared to
those on the mainland. The relative risk of death from heart disease on
the Panama mainland was 1,280 percent higher than on the islands and
death from cancer was 630 percent higher. In his AAAS presentation,
Hollenberg suggested that the same mechanism resulting in improved
blood vessel function that he and others have observed following
consumption of Mars' special cocoa could also be responsible for the
enhanced brain blood flow he and Professor Macdonald have independently
reported in previously published research. Specifically, Hollenberg and
others have observed that these improvements in blood vessel function
following flavanol rich cocoa consumption are paralleled by an increase
in the circulating pool of nitric oxide, a critical molecule in the
circulatory system that helps dilate blood vessels and keeps them
pliable.
Hollenberg fed flavanol-rich cocoa to healthy volunteers who were over
age 50 and observed a "striking blood flow response" that evolved over
several weeks. "Since this cocoa preparation is so well tolerated, it
raises hope that the brain blood flow response it stimulates can result
in maintenance of healthy brain function and cognition, which is an
issue that unfortunately plagues many older adults today," Hollenberg
said. This advancement in science related to brain health is especially
exciting at a time when the nation's 78 million baby boomers are aging.
The need to impact cognitive function and brain health will only
continue to grow with this aging population.
###
Additional panel members included Henriette Van Praag, PhD, of the Salk
Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, and Hagen
Schroeter, PhD, of Mars, Incorporated.
Advancements in Cocoa Science Mars, Incorporated is leading the
exploration of the full nutritional and medical potential of cocoa's
naturally occurring flavanols. For more than 15 years, the Mars
commitment to research is evidenced by more than 100 peer-reviewed
research publications on cocoa and more than 30 patents held by Mars
scientists.
To help maximize the amount of cocoa flavanols in chocolate, scientists
at Mars, Incorporated developed a patented process called Cocoapro®
that helps retain consistent levels of cocoa flavanols that occur
naturally in cocoa beans. Mars products that are made with the Cocoapro
process include Dove® Dark Chocolate and CocoaVia® snacks. Cocoapro
cocoa is the most studied cocoa in the world in terms of health impact.
For more information on the many research studies on cocoa flavanols, visit http://www.cocoapro.com/.
Mars, Incorporated is one of the world's top producers of chocolate,
and has a strong commitment to health research. With well over 15 years
of research into the potential health benefits of cocoa flavanols, and
decades of research invested into improving the cocoa plant and farming
techniques, Mars, Incorporated has become the global leader in cocoa
science. Mars uses patented and proprietary methods of processing cocoa
beans to retain much of the naturally occurring flavanols, marking
these products with the Cocoapro® seal, a hand holding a cocoa bean to
signify the careful handling.
1) Bayard V, Chamorro F, Motta J, Hollenberg NK. Does flavanol intake
influence mortality from nitric oxide-dependent processes? Ischemic
heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cancer in Panama. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2007;4:53-58.
Contact: Lori Fromm
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
|
