Cacao heeft veel gezonde eigenschappen.*
Twee recente studies over natuurlijke cacao laten opmerkelijke resultaten zien. Een studie bekijkt de resultaten van het jarenlang drinken van een speciale cacaodrank rijk aan bioactieve flavonolen. De flavonolen, epicatechinen die rijk aanwezig zijn in natuurlijke cacao zijn vergelijkbaar in belangrijkheid met bijv. penicilline. Op een eilandje bij Panama kreeg de bevolking jarenlang wekelijks tot 40 glazen van deze speciale cacaodrank. Nu werd gekeken waaraan de mensen doodgingen en resultaten werden vergelijken met eenzelfde bevolkingsgroep op het vasteland die deze cacaodrank niet kregen. De kans op een ziekte uit vier van de top vijf van doodsoorzaken; kanker, diabetes, beroerte en hartfalen was bij de eilandbewoners gereduceerd tot minder dan 10%!!
In de andere Duitse studie kregen mannelijke rokers een cacaodrank met verschillende hoeveelheden epicatechinen. Zij die de hoogste dosis kregen hadden na een week zo’n goede bloedvaten vergelijkbaar met jonge, gezonde bloedvaten en waren de resultaten bijv. ook vergelijkbaar met een jarenlang gebruik van statines (een medicijn, niet zonder bijwerkingen).
Epicatechinen worden vooral in cacao en groene thee en minder in wijn en wat ander groente en fruit gevonden. Tijdens de commerciële productie van cacao en chocolade wordt echter veel verwijderd vanwege de bittere smaak of raakt verloren als gevolg van de gevolgde fabricageprocessen. Verder zegt het percentage aan cacao in chocolade ook niets over de hoeveelheid nog aanwezige epicatechinen want alleen een goed productieproces kan deze hoeveelheid garanderen.
Studies
Highlight Cocoa's Remarkable Health Properties
Two
recent studies suggest compounds in natural cocoa have significant health-giving
properties.
One study by Prof Norman K. Hollenberg from Harvard Medical School and Brigham
and Women's Hospital in Boston, US was published in the International Journal
of Medical Sciences.
Hollenberg spent years studying the effects of cocoa-drinking on the Kuna people
in Panama. He suggests that epicatechin, a flavanol found in high levels in
natural cocoa, should be classed as a vitamin and is as important as penicillin
and anaesthesia in terms of its potential to impact public health.
Although only an observational study, Hollenberg's results from his work with
the Kuna has been described as "so impressive" by Daniel Fabricant, a
nutrition expert, that it "may even warrant a rethink of how vitamins are
defined".
Hollenberg and colleagues used death certificates from 2000 to 2004 to look at
causes of death between the Kuna who live on the San Blas islands and those on
mainland Panama. The Kuna on the mainland do not drink the flavanol-rich cocoa.
They found that the risk of 4 of the 5 most common killer diseases: cancer,
diabetes, stroke and heart failure, is reduced to less than 10% in the
island-based Kuna people, who drink up to 40 cups of epicatechin-rich cocoa a
week.
Fabricant is vice president for scientific affairs at the Natural Products
Association. He suggests that: "the link between high epicatechin
consumption and a decreased risk of killer disease is so striking, it should be
investigated further. It may be that these diseases are the result of
epicatechin deficiency."
The other study, sponsored by Mars Incorporated and conducted in Germany, was
published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. It suggests that
drinking cocoa rich in flavanols can reverse impairment in the functioning of
blood vessels, such as that caused by atherosclerosis.
In this study the participants were male smokers - a group known to have
problems with blood vessel function. The participants were given cocoa drinks
made with different levels of flavanol: from 28 to 918 milligrams.
In each case, the optimal effect in the blood flow happened after two hours.
179 milligram of flavanols gave a 50 per cent improvement in blood vessel
performance, which carried on increasing in proportion to flavanol increase.
The improvement in blood vessel function for the highest level of flavanol, 918
mg, was so great that it was equal to that found in a person with no known
cardiovascular risk factors.
They followed this up with a seven day sustained trial, where participants were
given three drinks a day, totalling 918 mg, and monitored their blood vessel
performance at intervals over the day, and then for a week after they stopped
taking the drink.
The researchers said that the blood vessel benefits from consuming the
flavanol-rich cocoa for a week was comparable to "long-term drug therapy
with statins".
While the improved performance was sustained while they continued to drink the
cocoa, after a week of not drinking it, the blood vessel performance returned to
their previous levels.
Commercial cocoa production removes flavanols like epicatechin because they
taste bitter. They can also be destroyed by many conventional cocoa and
chocolate processing methods. Tea, wine, chocolate and some fruit and vegetable
also contain epicatechin.
According to a statement that accompanies an announcement of the second study,
Mars has patented methods of processing cocoa beans to keep the naturally
occurring flavanols in the cocoa and chocolate.
The statement emphasizes that consumers should be aware that "contrary to
repeated reports, the percent cacao or cocoa does not indicate cocoa flavanol
content. Only careful handling of the cocoa can help to retain cocoa flavanol
content."
Nutrionists advise members of the public not to take this news as a reason to
increase their consumption of chocolate and cocoa.
"Does Flavanol Intake Influence Mortality from Nitric Oxide-Dependent
Processes? Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cancer in
Panama."
Vicente Bayard, Fermina Chamorro, Jorge Motta, Norman K. Hollenberg.
Int. J. Med. Sci. 2007, 4: 53-58.
Click
here for Abstract.
"Sustained Increase in Flow-Mediated Dilation After Daily Intake of
High-Flavanol Cocoa Drink Over 1 Week. "
Heiss, Christian; Finis, David; Kleinbongard, Petra; Hoffmann, Arne; Rassaf,
Tienush; Kelm, Malte; Sies, Helmut.
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 49(2):74-80.
Click
here for Abstract. (Maart 2007)