First name: Theobroma cacao
Family: Sterculiacee
Order: Malvacee
Generality
Cocoa and chocolate are foods currently consumed in most of the developed countries of the world, while their consumption is very limited in producing countries, all of which are in the developing world.
Cocoa and chocolate are real foods, although they can be considered - thanks to the substances they contain - “functional products”: in fact, there are numerous health properties attributable to these foods; among these, the one of greatest impact and of greatest interest in recent years concerns the antioxidant properties linked to the polyphenol content.
Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory
A myriad of varieties of chocolate can be found on the market, both from a qualitative point of view and from a purely packaging point of view: milk, dark, different percentages of cocoa, or drinking chocolate, cocoa powder, white chocolate, etc.
Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Among these types, dark chocolate is undoubtedly the one of choice: from a health point of view it represents a real "food-drug", to be taken naturally in moderation, in adequate doses and without exaggerating, getting caught by the "throat. "; one of the qualities highlighted by various clinical trials is the protection provided against cardiovascular diseases, but the influence exerted on the production of anti-inflammatory factors is also important; in fact, with the intake of dark chocolate the mechanisms that lead to the production of pro -inflammatory drugs, such as prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes.
The antioxidant content is very high: already in 1996 the Lancet published the first research on the properties of the antioxidants present in cocoa (antioxidants, as it is known, have a recognized utility in the fight against free radicals, with consequent reduction of potential risks of many diseases).
Research into compounds of natural origin able to fight free radicals, which are very harmful to health, is becoming increasingly important. Free radicals are reactive species of oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS), with an unpaired electron in the outer orbital; this characteristic makes them very unstable, with a tendency to react very easily with various types of biomolecules.
Molecular oxygen in living organisms is essential for the development of various metabolic processes; during all these reactions there is a physiological production of free radicals and reactive intermediates. Under normal conditions, the production of ROS is necessary for the functioning of the biological processes, such as for example the support of the immune response; for this reason, there is a state of equilibrium between the endogenous production of free radicals and their neutralization by antioxidant defense mechanisms. However, when ROS escape the control of neutralization systems their reactive potential generates toxic phenomena.
The main radical species are: superoxide anion (O2- ∙), hydroxyl radical (OH ∙), nitric oxide (NO ∙), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ∙) and peroxide radical (LOO ∙).
The organism, under normal conditions, has the ability to contrast and fight these reactive species through an antioxidant system that includes enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms. Among the enzymes there are superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, while among the non-enzymatic substances we remember vitamin E, vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols and anthocyanins.
Polyphenols from Cocoa
The polyphenols in cocoa are divided into 3 groups: Catechins, or flavan - 3 - oils (about 37%), Anthocyanins (4%) and Proanthocyanidins (58%), consisting of units of catechins or epicatechins.
The quantity of polyphenols in dark chocolate is far superior to that present in milk chocolate; this can be verified - as well as experimentally in the laboratory - by tasting the food; in fact, the polyphenol content is always associated with a bitter and astringent taste, which can be found regardless of the quantity of cocoa present in the product.
Numerous clinical studies have observed the positive effects that flavonoids have in the prevention of diseases in the cardiovascular system; in fact, a high intake of flavonoids with the diet (chocolate, especially if dark, is rich in it), has proved to be an important aid in decreasing the onset of CVD (cardiovascular diseases).
A very important study, illustrated in “Focus on Chocolate”, by Ottaviani et al. it was carried out on an indigenous population of the island of Kuna: it was observed that a predominant consumption of cocoa and its derivatives led, in this population, to a lowering of the incidence of arterial hypertension, practically absent. This data could only have been a coincidence linked perhaps to other factors, genetic and environmental; however, the study also continued on individuals who for various reasons moved away from their place of origin: the result was the appearance of cases of hypertension, and a more in-depth analysis showed that changing lifestyle the diet has also changed radically, with the introduction of new foods and the abandonment of the use of cocoa and its derivatives.
From this study, several hypotheses have been made on the link between flavonoids / cardiovascular benefits: the most important of these is the one formulated by Schroeter et al, which indicates the epicatechins as mediators capable of influencing the activity of nitric oxide at the vascular level.
The flavonoids would be able to stimulate the production and release of nitric oxide; on the contrary, to be more precise, they would influence the activity of the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO synthetase): in doing so it would promote a vasodilation process at the base of the hypotensive effects of the flavonoids introduced with the diet.
Also in this review it is demonstrated, through studies carried out on healthy individuals, how a dietary intake of flavonoids purified from cocoa extracts and derivatives, after only two hours from the intake, is able to inhibit the oxidation of LDL.
Polyphenols have also been shown to be powerful immunomodulators, capable of significantly lowering the inflammatory response. This important factor was demonstrated by a study carried out by Dr. Romina Di Giuseppe of the Catholic University of Campobasso, in association with the National Cancer Institute of Milan, published in the Journal of Nutrition; this research represented one of the largest epidemiological studies conducted in Europe; in fact, it involved 20,000 people (“Moli-sani Project”).
The study was conducted because the chronic inflammatory state is able to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, from "heart attack to" cerebral stroke, so it is very important to be able to control inflammatory phenomena, and to do this one of the markers more promising and easier to use is PCR, Reactive Protein C.
By comparing the blood values of this protein, in association with the quantity of chocolate usually consumed, the epidemiological study was developed: out of 11,000 people examined, 4,849 were all in good health and without risk factors; of these, 1,317 did not consume any type of chocolate, while 824 consumed it regularly, but only of the dark type.
The results of the research proved to be encouraging: in fact, people who habitually eat dark chocolate in moderate quantities appear to have relatively lower levels of Reactive Protein C in their blood than others; in this way their risk of inflammation is significantly reduced.
How much chocolate to eat
However, the quantities of chocolate are very important: a moderate consumption of dark chocolate is required, which is around 6.7g / day to reduce the inflammatory state by 17%; a small percentage, therefore, sufficient to take advantage of a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease equal to 1/3 in women and 1/4 in men.
Continue: Cocoa and Chocolate: Natural Antidepressants »
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