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Flavanols in cocoa may offer benefits to the brain
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 today’s 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.
Source: Weber Shandwick Worldwide
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