Study of Older People Finds Cocoa Flavanol Improves
Blood Flow to the Brain
Better brain blood flow could impact cognitive
behavior, offer protection from dementia and stroke
Aug.
18, 2008 - In a scientific study of healthy, older adults ages 59 to 83,
Harvard medical scientists found that study participants who regularly
drank a cocoa flavanol-rich beverage made using the Mars, Incorporated
Cocoapro process had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after
one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks.
Cocoa flavanols are unique compounds found
naturally in cocoa, according to background on this new research
published in the Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment journal.
The researchers suggest that long-term improvements
in brain blood flow could impact cognitive behavior, offering future
potential for debilitating brain conditions including dementia and
stroke.
In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers
found both short and long-term benefits of cocoa flavanols for brain
blood flow, offering future potential for the one in seven older
Americans currently living with dementia. When the flow of blood to the
brain slows over time, the result may be structural damage and dementia.
Scientists speculate that maintaining an increased
blood flow to the brain could slow this cognitive decline.
"The totality of the research on cocoa flavanols is
impressive. This is just one more study adding to an increasing body of
literature connecting regular cocoa flavanol consumption to blood flow
and vascular health improvements throughout the body," said Harold
Schmitz, Ph.D., chief science officer at Mars, Incorporated, which has
supported research on cocoa flavanols for more than 15 years.
"Though more research is needed, these findings
raise the possibility that flavanol-rich cocoa products could be
developed to help slow brain decline in older age."
The Body of Evidence
“Contrary to statements often made in the popular
media,” the company says in a news release, “the collective research
demonstrates that the vascular effects of cocoa flavanols are
independent of general ‘antioxidant’ effects that cocoa flavanols
exhibit in a test tube, outside of the body.”
While research aimed at studying the potential role
of cocoa flavanols in the context of blood vessel and circulatory
function continues, a number of previously published studies already
suggest that the consumption of cocoa flavanols can have important
beneficial effects on the function of the body's network of blood
vessels, according to the news relase.
“The body of research not only suggests that cocoa
flavanols may provide a dietary approach to maintaining cardiovascular
function and health, but also points at new possibilities for cocoa
flavanol-based interventions for vascular complications associated with
cognitive performance, skin health and age-related blood vessel
dysfunction,” states the news release.
Future Cocoa Flavanol Research Directions by
Mars, Incorporated
“For more than 15 years, Mars, Incorporated has
conducted and/or supported a significant portion of the research
undertaken in the field of cocoa flavanols and reported new insights in
peer-reviewed scientific literature.
“Working in collaboration with top research
institutions around the world, Mars, Incorporated continues to lead the
way in exploring the nutritional and medical potential of cocoa
flavanols. Mars' commitment to rigorous scientific research of cocoa and
flavanols is evidenced by more than 100 peer-reviewed research
publications and more than 80 patents held by the company. Mars also
developed and patented the breakthrough process called Cocoapro® that
helps retain more of the naturally occurring flavanols in cocoa.
“The high-flavanol cocoa powders made using the
Mars Cocoapro® process are thoroughly characterized in terms of nutrient
content, as well as standardized with respect to flavanol level and
flavanol profile. Through the newly created Mars Botanical division,
Mars will continue to develop and apply industry-leading analytical
techniques and standards to further investigate the biomedical potential
of cocoa flavanols. For more information on the many research studies on
cocoa flavanols, visit
www.healthycocoa.com.”
The company refers the source as: Sorond FA,
Lipsitz LA, Hollenberg NK, Fisher NDL. Cerebral blood flow response to
flavanol-rich cocoa in healthy elderly humans. Neuropsychiatric Disease
and Treatment. 2008;4:433-440.
About Mars, Incorporated and Mars Botanical
(company statement)
“Mars, Incorporated, headquartered in McLean,
Virginia is a family-owned company with a strong commitment to
science-based research. With more than 15 years of research into the
health effects 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 research.
Mars Botanical
“Mars Botanical, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, is a
newly-established division of Mars, Incorporated. The mission of Mars
Botanical is to further develop leading edge science and technologies in
the field of phytonutrients with the goal of creating new plant-derived
products aimed at improving human health, and do so in a sustainable way
that helps both farming communities and their local environment. Mars,
Incorporated scientists and colleagues at leading research institutions
are dedicated to unlocking the full nutritional and medical potential of
cocoa flavanols. For more information, visit
www.marsbotanical.com.”
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Aug.
18, 2008 - In a scientific study of healthy, older adults ages 59 to 83,
Harvard medical scientists found that study participants who regularly
drank a cocoa flavanol-rich beverage made using the Mars, Incorporated
Cocoapro process had an eight percent increase in brain blood flow after
one week, and 10 percent increase after two weeks.