encouraging sustainable, responsible cocoa growing

Cacao Research: Human Nutrition

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In this section:

• Phytonutrients
• Antioxidants
• Flavanols
• Polyphenols
• Phenolics
• General Review
• Antimicrobial

Phytonutrients

• Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality. Archives Intern Medicine. 2006. Vol. 166, p 411-417. by Buijsse, B.; Feskens, E.J.M.; Kok, F.J.; Kromhout, D. [PDF: 100KB]
• Plant Compounds Inhibit Blood Clotting by R.M. Bliss [225 kb]
• Cocoa, diabetes, and hypertension: should we eat more chocolate? by C. Fraga [PDF: 32kb]
• Cocoa Has More Phenolic Phytochemicals and a Higher Antioxidant Capacity than Teas and Red Wine by K. W. Lee et al. [PDF: 66.6 kb]
• Comparative Study of different cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) clones in terms of their phenolics and anthocyanins contents. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, vol. 19, p. 612-619. by N. Niemenak, C. Rohsius, S. Elwers, D.O. Ndoumou, and R. Lieberei. [PDF: 217]
• Isolation and characterization of an AGAMOUS homologue from cocoa. Plant science, vol. 170. p.968-975. by T. Chaidamsari, Samanhudi, H. Sugiarti, D. Santoso, G.C. Angenent, and R.A. Maagd. [PDF: 587 KB]
• Cocoa flavanol-enriched snack bars containing phytosterols effectively lower total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 106., p. 1804-1813, 2006. by J.A. Polagruto, J.F. Wang-Polagruto, M.M. Braun, L. Lee, C. Kwik-Uribe, and C.L. Keen. [PDF: 152 KB] posted Jan. 2 2007
• Caffedymine from Cocoa has COX Inhibitory Activity Supressing the Expression of a Platelet Activation Marker, P-Selectin. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, vol. 5, p. 2171-2175, 2007. by J.B. Park [PDF: 222 KB] posted May 1 2007
• Dietary supplementation with cacao liquor proanthocyanidins prevents elevation of blood glucose levels in diabetic obese mice. Nutrition, vol. 23, p. 351-355, 2007. by M. Tomaru, H. Takano, N. Osakabe, A. Yasuda, K. Inoue, R. Yanagisawa, T. Ohwatari, and H. Uematsu. [PDF: 190 KB] posted July 3 2007
• The effect of cocoa and polydextrose on bacterial fermentation in gastrointestinal tract simulations. Bioscience, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Vol. 71, p. 1834-1843, 2007. by H. Makivuokko, H. Kettunen, M. Saarinen, T. Kamiwaki, Y. Yokoyama, J. Stowell, and N. Rautonen. [PDF: 263 KB] posted October 31 2007
• Repression of cacitonin gene-related peptide expression in trigerminal neurons by a Theobroma cacao extract. Journal of Ethnopharamcology, vol. 115, p. 238-248, 2008 by M.J. Abbey, V.V. Patil, C.V. Vause, P.L. Durham [PDF: 116 KB] posted February 1 2008
• Predictive Relationship Between Polyphenol and Nonfat Cocoa Solids Content of Chocolate. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 56, p. 260-265. by K.A. Cooper, E. Campos-Gimenez, A.D. Jimenez, A. Rytz, K. Nagy, and G. Williamson. [PDF: 162 KB] posted March 3 2008
• Nutritional contribution of coffee, cacao, and tea phenolics to human health. Journal Verbr. Lenensm, vol. 2, p. 399-406, 2007. by H. M. Rawel and S. E. Kulling. [PDF: 296 KB] posted April 1 2008
• Cocoa procyanidins protect PC12 cells from hydrogen-peroxide-induced apoptosis by inhibiting activation of p38 MAPK and JNK. Mutation Research, vol. 640, p. 130-151, 2008 by E.S. Cho, K.W. Lee, and H.J. Lee [PDF: 750 KB] posted April 25 2008
• Effects of long-term administration of a cocoa polyphenolilc extract (Acticoa powder) on cognitive performances in aged rats. British journal of Nutrition, vol. 100, p.94-101, 2008. by J-F. Bisson, A. Nejdi, P. Rozan, S. Hidalgo, R. Lalonde, and M. Messaoudi. [PDF: 142 KB] posted August 1 2008
• Protective effect of polyphenol-rich extract prepared from Malaysian cocoa (Theobroma cacao) on glucose levels and lipid profiles in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. J. Science Food Agriculture, vol. 88, p. 1442-1447, 2008. by A.M.M. Ruzaidi, M.M.J. Abbe, I. Amin, A.G. Nawalyah and I. Amin [PDF: 324 KB] posted August 1 2008
• Expectancy for food or expectancy for chocolate reveals timing systems for metabolism and reward. Neuroscience, vol. 155, p. 297-307, 2008 by M. Angeles-Castellanos, R. Salgado-Delgado, K. Rodriguez, R. Buijs, and C. Escobar. [PDF: 1.3 MB] posted August 27 2008
• Intestinal immune system of young rats influenced by cocoa-enriched diet. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, vol. 19, p. 555-565, 2008. by E. Ramiro-Puig, F.J. Perez-Cano, S. Ramos-Romero, T. Perez-Berezo, C. Castellote, J. Permanyer, A. Franch, M. Izquierdo-Pulido and M. Castell. [PDF: 650 KB] posted August 27 2008.
• Survey of the trans-Resveratrol and trans-piceid content of cocoa-containing and chocolate products. J. Agric. Food Chem., vol. 56, p. 8374-8378, 2008 by W.J. Hurst, J.A. Glinski, K.B. Miller, J. Apgar, M.H. Davey, and D.A. Stuart. [PDF: 190 KB] posted September 29 2008
• Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders. J. Agric. Food Chem., vol 56, p. 8527-8533. by K. Miller, W. Hurst, M. Payne, D. Stuart, J. Apgar, D. Sweigart and B. Ou. [PDF: 974 KB] posted September 29 2008
• The medicinal use of chocolate in early North America. Mol. Nutr. Food Res., vol. 52, 13 pp., 2008 by D. Pucciarelli and L. Grivette [PDF: 398] posted September 29 2008
• Cocoa intake modulates intestinal immune responses in young rate, influencing gammadelta T-cells and S-IgA production. J. Nutritional Biochemistry, vol. 19, p. 555-65, 2008 by E. Ramiro-Puig, F. Perez-Cano, S. Ramos-Romero, T. Perez-Berezo, C. Castellote, J. Permanyer, A. Franch, M. Izquierdo-Pulido, and M. Caster [PDF: 650 KB] posted September 29 2008
• Hypolipidemic effect in cholesterol-fed rats of a soluble fiber-rich product obtained from cocoa husks. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 56, p. 6985-93, 2008 by S. Ramos, L. Moulay, A.B. Granado-Serrano, O. Vilanova, B. Muguerza, L. Goya and L. Bravo. [PDF: 2.6 MB] posted September 29 2008
• The effects of milk as a food matrix for polyphenols on the excretion profile of cocoa (-)-epicatechin metabolites in healthy human subjects. British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 100, p. 846-51, 2008 by E. Roura, C. Andres-Lacueva, R. Estruch, M. Lourdes Mata Bilba, M. Izquierdo-Pulido and R. M. Lamuela-Raventos. [PDF: 128 KB] posted October 24 2008
• Cacao extracts suppress tryptophan degradation of mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, vol. 122, p. 261-267, 2009 by M. Jenny, E. Santer, A. Klein, M. Ledochowski, H. Schennach, F. Ueberall and D. Fuchs. [PDF: 291KB] posted May 4 2009
• Beneficial effects of Cocoa in Perivascular Mato Cells of cerebral arterioles in SHR-SP (Izm) Rats. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, vol. 44, p. 142-150, 2009 by T. Mato, M. Kamei, R. Ito, M. Sawano, K. Inokuchi, K. Nakata, A. Yamagushi, T. Kouki, U. Mitsuhashi and M. Mato. [PDF: 1288KB] posted May 4 2009
• Influence of a cocoa-enriched diet on specific immune response in ovalbumin-sensitized rats. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, vol. 53, p. 389-397, 2009 by T. Perez-Berezo, E. Ramiro-Puig, F.J. Perez-Cano, C. Castellote, J. Permanyer, A. Franch and M. Castell. [PDF: 935KB] posted May 4 2009
• Cocoa procyanidins attenuate 4-hydroxynonenal-induced apoptosis of PC12 cells by directly inhibiting mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 activity. Free radical biology & Medicine, Vol. 46, p.1319-27, 2009 by E.S. Cho, Y.J. Jang, N.J. Kang, M.K. Hwang, Y.T. Kim, K.W. Lee and H.J. Lee. [PDF: 1.03MB] posted June 9 2009

Antioxidants

• Quantitative analysis of N-phenylpropenoyl-L-amino acids in roasted coffee and cocoa powder by means of a stable isotope dilution assay. J Agricultural Food Chem., vol. 54, p. 2859-2876. 2006. by T. Stark, et al. [PDF: 200 kb]
• Chocolate and cocoa : New sources of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceid. Food Chemistry, vol. 98, p. 649-657. 2006. by C. Counet, et al. [PDF: 214 kb].
• Antioxident activity and polyphenol and procyanidin contents of selected commercially available cocoa-containing and chocolate products in the United States. J. Agricultural Food Chemistry, vol. 54, No. 11, p. 4062-4068, 2006 by K. Miller, D.A. Stuart, N.L. Smith, C. Lee, N.L. McHale, J.A. Flanagan, O. Boxin, and W. J. Hurst. [PDF: 191 kb]
• Procyanidin and catechin contents and antioxidant capacity of cocoa and chocolate products. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 54, p. 4057-4061, 2006. by L. Gu, S. House, X. Wu, O. Boxin, and R.L. Prior [PDF: 115 kb]
• Chocolate is a Powerful ex Vivo and in Vivo Antioxidant, an Antiatherosclerotic Agent in an Animal Model, and a Signficant Contributor to Antioxidents in the European and American Diets. Journal of agriculture and food chemistry, vol. 54, p. 8071-8076, 2006. by J.A. Vinson, J. Proch, P. Bose, S. Muchler, P. Taffera, D. Shuta, N. Samman, and G. Agbor. [PDF: 103 KB} posted Dec. 4 2006
• Antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of cocoa beans. Food Chemistry, vol. 100, p. 1523-1530, 2007. by A. Othman, A. Ismail, N.A. Ghani, and I. Adenan. [PDF: 163 KB] posted Jan. 2 2007
• Preventive antioxidant effects of cocoa polyphenolic extract on free radical production and cognitive performances after heat exposure in wistar rats. Journal of food science, vol. 72, p. S203-S206, 2007. by P. Rozan, S. Hidalgo, A. Nejdi, J.F. Bisson, R. Lalonde, and M. Messaoudi. [PDF: 105 KB] posted July 3 2007
• Cocoa-enriched diet enhances antioxidant enzyme activity and modulates lymphocyte composition in thymus from young rats. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 55, p. 6431-6438, 2007 by E. Ramiro-Puig, M. Urpi-Sarda, F.J. Perez-Cano, A. Franch, C. Castellote, C. Andres-Lacueva, M. Izquierdo-Pulido, and M. Castell. [PDF: 267 KB] posted October 2 2007
• Cocoa confers lifespan extension in Drosophilia melanogaster. Nutrition Research, vol. 28, p. 377-382, 2008 by S. Bahadorani and A.J. Hilliker. [PDF: 617 KB] posted August 1 2008
• Effects of cocoa extract on glucometabolism, oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes in obese-diabetic (ob-db) rats. J. Agric. Food Chem, vol. 19, p. 7877-7884, 2008. by A. Jalil, C. Pei, M. Hamid, and S. Kamaruddin [PDF: 979 KB] posted September 29 2008
• Protection of human HepG2 cells against oxidative stress by cocoa phenolic extract. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 56, p. 7765-72, 2008. by M.A. Martin, S. Ramos, R. Mateos, A. Granado Serrano, M. Izquierdo-Pulido, L. Bravo and L. Goya. [PDF: 435 KB] posted October 24 2008
• Antioxidant properties of methanolic extracts of mistletoes (Viscum album) from cocoa and cashew trees in Nigeria. African Journal of Biotechnology, vol. 7, p. 3138-3142 2008. by A.A. Oluwaseun and O. Ganiyu. [PDF: 81 KB] posted October 31 2008

• Cocoa: antioxidant and immunomodulator. British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 101, p. 931-940, 2009 by E. Ramiro-Puig and M. Castell. [PDF: 393KB] posted June 9 2009

Flavanols

• Flavanol-rich cocoa drink lowers plasma F2-Isoprostane concentrations in humans by Wiswedel, et al. [PDF: 254 KB]
• (-)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans by H. Shroeter et. al. [380 KB]
• Flavonoids from Theobroma cacao Down-Regulate Inflammatory Mediators by Ramiro et al. [PDF: 300 KB]
• Research Finds Flavanols in Cocoa May Help Treat Diabetes, Strokes and Dementia by Mars, Incorporated [PDF: 42 KB]
• Dietary flavonoids: effects on endothelial function and blood pressure. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, vol. 86, p. 2492-2498, 2006. by J.M. Hodgson and K.D. Croft. [PDF: 137 KB] posted Jan. 17 2007
• Does flavanol intake influence mortality from nitric oxide-dependent processes? Ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, an cancer in Panama. International Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 4, p. 53-58, 2007. by V. Bayard, F. Chamorro, J. Motta, and N.K. Hollenberg. [PDF: 140 KB] posted Mar. 30 2007
• Consumption of flavonol-rich cocoa acutely increases microcirculation in human skin. European journal of nutrition, vol. 46, p. 53-56, 2007. by K. Neukam, W. Stahl, H. Tronnier, H. Sies, and U. Heinrich. [PDF: 191 KB] posted Mar. 30 2007
• A New Process to develop a Cocoa Powder with Higher Flavanoid Monomer Content and Enhanced Bioavailability in Healthy Humans. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, vol. 55, p. 3926-3935, 2007. by F.A. Tomas-Barberan, E. Cienfuegos-Jovellanos, A. Marin, B. Muguerza, A. Gil-Izquierdo, B. Cerda, P. Zefrilla, J. Morillas, J. Mulero, A. Ibarra, M.A. Pasamar, D. Ramon and J.C. Espin [PDF: 457 KB] posted May 30 2007
• Spleen lymphocyte function modulated by a cocoa-enriched diet. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, vol. 149, p. 535-542, 2007 by E. Ramiro-Puig, F.J. Perez-Cano, C. Ramirez-Santana, C. Castellote, M. Izquierdo-Pulido, J. Permanyer, A. Franch and M. Castell. [PDF: 378] posted October 2 2007
• A diet rich in dietary fiber from cocoa improves lipid profile and reduces malondialdehyde in hypercholesterolemic. Nutrition, vol. 23, 332-341. 2007. by E. Lecumberri, L. Goya, R. Mateos, M. Alia, S. Ramos, M. Izquierdo-Pulido, and L. Bravo. [PDF: 137 KB] posted October 31 2007
• Sustained benefits in vascular function through flavanol-containing cocoa in medicated diabetic patients a double-masked, randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, vol. 51, p.2141-9, 2008. by J. Balzer, T. Rassaf, C. Heiss, P. Kleinbongard, T. Lauer, M. Merx, N. Heussen, H.B. Gross, C.L. Keen, H. Schroeter and M. Kelm. [PDF: 335 KB] posted August 1 2008
• Flavanol-rich cocoa a promising new dietary intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes? Journal of the American College of Cardiology, vol. 51, p.2150. 2008. by U. Campia and J.A. Panza [PDF: 64 KB] posted August 1 2008
• Effect of cocoa flavanols and exercise on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese subjects. International Journal of Obesity, vol. 32, p. 1289-1296, 2008. by K. Davison, A.M. Coates, J.D. Buckley and P.R.C. Howe [PDF: 145 KB] posted September 29 2008
• Cocoa flavanols lower vascular arginase activity in human endothelial cells in vitro and in erythrocytes in vivo. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, vol. 476, p.211-215, 2008 by O. Schnorr, T. Brossette, T.Y. Momma, P. Kleinbongard, C.L. Keen, H. Schroeter and H. Sies. [PDF: 224 KB] posted September 29 2008
• Chocolate at heart: the anti-inflammatory impact of cocoa flavanols. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, vol. 52, p. 1340-1348, 2008. by C. Selmi; C.A. Cocchi; M. Lanfredini; C.L. Keen and M.E. Gershwin. [PDF: 221KB] posted December 29 2008
• Neuroprotective effect of cocoa flavonoids on in vitro oxidative stress. European Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 48, p. 54-61, 2009 by E. Ramiro-Puig, G. Casadesus, H. Lee, A. McShea, G. Perry, F.J. Perez-Cano, M.A. Smith and M. Castell. [PDF: 340KB] posted February 25 2009

Polyphenols

• Rapid reversed phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the major cocoa polyphenols and inter-relationships of their concentrations in chocolate. Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry, vol. 55, p. 2841-2847, 2007. by K.A. Cooper, E. Campos-Gimenez, D. Jimenez Alvarez, K. Nagy, J.L. Donovan, and G. Williamson. [PDF: 139 KB] posted May 30 2007
• Absorption of N-phenylpropenoyl-L-amino acids in healthy humans by oral administration of cocoa (Theobroma cacao). Molecular nutrition & food research, vol. 52, p. 1201-1214, 2008. by T. Stark, R. Lang, D. Keller, A. Hensel, and T. Hofmann [PDF: 1 MB] posted November 21 2008
• Effects of cocoa extract containing polyphenols and methylxanthines on biochemical parameters of obese-diabetic rats. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, vol. 89, p. 130-137, 2009 by A.M. Mhd Jalil; A. Ismail; P.P. Chong; M. Hamid; K. Syed and H. Syed [PDF: 131KB] posted December 29 2008
• Cacao Polyphenol Extract Suppresses Transformation of an Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor in C57BL/6 Mice. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 56, p. 10399-10405, 2008 by R. Mukai; I. Fukuda; S. Nishiumi; M. Natsume; N. Osakabe; K. Yoshida and H. Ashida. [PDF: 1259KB] posted December 29 2008
• Vascular action of polyphenols. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, vol. 53, p. 322-331, 2009 by D. Ghosh and A. Sheepens. [PDF: 239KB] posted May 4 2009

• Bioavailability and health effects of cocoa polyphenols. Inflammopharmacology, vol.17, p. 111, 2009. [PDF: 52KB]. Abstract of presentation, 3rd Int. Sym. on Functional Foods, April, 2008 by G. Williamson. Posted June 9 2009

Phenolics

• Human Metabolic Phenotypes LInk Directly to Specific Dietary Preferences in Healthy Individuals. Journal of Proteome Research, vol. 6, p. 4465-4477, 2007. by S. Rezzi, J.K. Nicholson, and S. Kochhar. [PDF: 390 KB] January 2 2008
• Obtention and characterization of phenolic extracts from different cocoa sources. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 56, p. 9621-7, 2008. by N. Ortega, M-P. Romero, A. Macia, J. Reguant, N. Angles, J-R. Morello and M-J. Motilva [PDF: 155 KB] November 30 2008

General Review

• Chocolate and prevention of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. Nutrition and Metabolism, 2006, vol. 3, p. 2. by E.L. Ding, S.M. Hutfless, X. Ding, and S. Girotra. [PDF: 513 KB] posted Feb. 27 27 2007
• The medicinal use of chocolate in early North America. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, vol. 52, p. 1215-1227, 2008 by D.L. Pucciarelli and L. E. Grivetti [PDF: 399 KB] November 30 2008

Antimicrobial

• Inhibition by cocoa extracts of biosynthesis of extracellular polysaccharide by human oral bacteria. Archives of Oral Biology, vol. 30, p. 359-363, 1985. by V.J. Paolino and S. Kashket. [PDF: 502 KB] posted April 1 2008
• Synergistic effect of pulsed electric fields and CocoanOX 12% on the inactivation kinetics of Bacillus cereus in a mixed beverage of liquid whole egg and skim milk. International Journal of Food Microbiology, vol. 130, p. 196-204 by M.C. Pina-Perez, A.B. Silva-Angulo, D. Rodrigo and A. Martinez-Lopez. [PDF: 758KB] posted May 5 2009