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J Agric Food Chem 2003 Dec
3;51(25):7292-5 (ISSN: 0021-8561) |
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Lee KW; Kim YJ; Lee HJ; Lee CY |
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Black tea, green tea, red wine, and cocoa are high in phenolic phytochemicals, among
which theaflavin, epigallocatechin
gallate, resveratrol, and
procyanidin, respectively, have been extensively
investigated due to their possible role as chemopreventive
agents based on their antioxidant capacities. The present study compared the phenolic and flavonoid contents
and total antioxidant capacities of cocoa, black tea, green tea, and
red wine. Cocoa contained much higher levels of total phenolics (611 mg of gallic acid equivalents, GAE) and flavonoids (564 mg of epicatechin
equivalents, ECE) per serving than black tea (124 mg of GAE and 34 mg of ECE,
respectively), green tea (165 mg of GAE and 47 mg of ECE), and red wine (340
mg of GAE and 163 mg of ECE). Total antioxidant activities were measured
using the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and
2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assays and are
expressed as vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacities (VCEACs).
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Ingested cocoa can prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity
by regulating the expression of genes for fatty acid metabolism [In Process
Citation] |
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Nutrition 2005 May;21(5):594-601 (ISSN:
0899-9007) |
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Matsui N; Ito R; Nishimura E; Yoshikawa M; Kato M; Kamei M;
Shibata H; Matsumoto I; Abe K; Hashizume S |
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OBJECTIVE: We previously found that ingested cocoa
decreased visceral adipose tissue weight in rat. To elucidate the molecular
mechanisms of that effect, we carried out experiments aimed at analyzing biochemical
parameters and gene expression profiles. METHODS: Rats were fed either of two
high-fat diets, differing only in supplementation with real or mimetic cocoa.
On day 21, body weights, mesenteric white adipose tissue weights, and
concentrations of serum triacylglycerol were
measured. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of cocoa
on lipid metabolism and triacylglycerol
accumulation, we examined gene expression profiles in liver and mesenteric
white adipose tissues using the GeneChip microarray system. RESULTS: Final body weights and
mesenteric white adipose tissue weights were significantly lower in rats fed
the real cocoa diet than in those fed the mimetic cocoa diet (P
< 0.05), and serum triacylglycerol
concentrations tended to be lower in rats fed the real cocoa diet (P =
0.072). DNA microarray analysis showed that cocoa
ingestion suppressed the expression of genes for enzymes involved in fatty
acid synthesis in liver and white adipose tissues. In white adipose tissue, cocoa
ingestion also decreased the expression of genes for fatty acid
transport-relating molecules, whereas it upregulated
the expression of genes for uncoupling protein-2 as a thermogenesis
factor. CONCLUSIONS: Ingested cocoa can prevent high-fat diet-induced
obesity by modulating lipid metabolism, especially by decreasing fatty acid
synthesis and transport systems, and enhancement of part of the thermogenesis mechanism in liver and white adipose
tissue. |
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Cocoa polyphenols and inflammatory
mediators. |
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Am J Clin Nutr
2005 Jan;81(1 Suppl):304S-312S (ISSN:
0002-9165) |
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Sies H; Schewe T; Heiss C; Kelm M |
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Cocoa products are sources of flavan-3-ols, which have attracted
interest regarding cardiovascular health. This review provides a survey of our
research on the effects of cocoa polyphenols
on leukotriene and nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and
on myeloperoxidase-induced modification of LDL.
Because intake of flavonoid-rich chocolate by human
subjects was reported to decrease the plasma concentrations of proinflammatory cysteinyl leukotrienes, we assessed whether cocoa polyphenols inhibited human 5-lipoxygenase, the key
enzyme of leukotriene synthesis. (-)-Epicatechin and other cocoa flavan-3-ols proved to
be inhibitory at the enzyme level. This action may confer antileukotriene
action in vivo. In a double-blind crossover study, 20 individuals at risk for
cardiovascular diseases received cocoa beverages with high or low
contents of flavan-3-ols. NO-dependent, flow-mediated dilation of the
brachial artery and concentrations of nitroso
compounds in plasma were measured, and it was shown that ingestion of the
high-flavanol coca drink but not the low-flavanol cocoa drink significantly increased
plasma concentrations of nitroso compounds and
flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery. Therefore, ingested flavonoids may reverse endothelial dysfunction through
enhancement of NO bioactivity. Oxidative modification of LDL appears to be
crucial for atherogenesis, and one of the mediators
is the proinflammatory proatherogenic
enzyme myeloperoxidase. Micromolar
concentrations of (-)-epicatechin or other flavonoids were found to suppress lipid peroxidation in LDL induced by myeloperoxidase
in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of nitrite, an NO
metabolite. Adverse effects of NO metabolites, such as nitrite and peroxynitrite, were thus attenuated. |
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Cocoa and chocolate flavonoids:
implications for cardiovascular health. |
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J Am Diet Assoc 2003 Feb;103(2):215-23 (ISSN:
0002-8223) |
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Steinberg FM; Bearden MM; Keen CL |
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This paper offers a review of current scientific research regarding
the potential cardiovascular health benefits of flavonoids
found in cocoa and chocolate. Recent reports indicate that the main flavonoids found in cocoa, flavan-3-ols and their oligomeric derivatives, procyanidins,
have a variety of beneficial actions, including antioxidant protection and
modulation of vascular homeostasis. These findings are supported by similar
research on other flavonoid-rich foods. Other
constituents in cocoa and chocolate that may also influence
cardiovascular health are briefly reviewed. The lipid content of chocolate is
relatively high; however, one third of the lipid in cocoa butter is
composed of the fat stearic acid, which exerts a
neutral cholesterolemic response in humans. |
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Suppressive Effect of |
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J Atheroscler Thromb
2005;12(1):20-8 (ISSN: 1340-3478) |
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Kurosawa T; Itoh F; Nozaki A; Nakano
Y; Katsuda S; Osakabe N; Tsubone H; Kondo K; Itakura H |
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We investigated the suppressive effect of cocoa powder
(cacao polyphenol content: 7.8%) on atherosclerosis
in a spontaneous familial hypercholesterolemic
model, Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic
(KHC) rabbits. Six-month dietary administration of cocoa powder had no
effects on body weight, hematology or blood chemistry parameters or a lipid
profile in KHC rabbits. Antioxidative activity of
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was observed in the 2nd month and 3rd month of
administration. Thiobarbituric acid reactive
substances (TBARS), the marker of lipid peroxidation,
in plasma were decreased in the cocoa powder treated group from the
2nd month of administration during the study period compared to that in the
control group. The area of atherosclerotic lesions in th
aorta was significantly smaller in the cocoa powder group (30.87%)
than in the control (52.39%). Tissue cholesterol content also tended to
decrease. Distensibility of the aortic wall was
improved significantly in the cocoa powder treated group due to
decreases in fatty streaks and intimal thickening
compared to that in the control group. These results suggest that cocoa
powder has suppressive effect on development of atherosclerotic lesions. We
consider that antioxidative activity of polyphenols rich in cocoa powder may be a key
factor for the anti-atherosclerotic effect. |
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Membrane effects of cocoa procyanidins
in liposomes and Jurkat T
cells. |
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Biol Res
2004;37(2):293-300 (ISSN: 0716-9760) |
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Verstraeten SV; Oteiza PI; Fraga CG |
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We investigated the effects of the interaction between flavanols and related procyanidins
(dimer to hexamer) with
both cell and synthetic membranes, on bilayer
fluidity and susceptibility to oxidation. Cocoa derived dimers (0.05 to 1 microg/ml)
protected Jurkat T cells from AMVN-mediated
oxidation and increased plasma membrane fluidity. These effects occurred in a
concentration- and chain length-dependent manner. In liposomes,
procyanidins prevented the Fe2+ -induced permeabilization of the membrane. Together, these results
support the hypothesis that procyanidins could interact
with the polar headgroup of lipids, increasing
membrane fluidity and also, preventing the access of molecules that could
affect membrane integrity. |
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The effect of a catechin-rich extract
of Cocos nucifera
on lymphocytes proliferation. |
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Phytother Res
2003 Nov;17(9):1054-8 (ISSN: 0951-418X) |
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Kirszberg C; Esquenazi
D; Alviano CS; Rumjanek
VM |
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Catechins are polyphenols
with antioxidant activity. The fruit Cocos nucifera (Palmae) has a fi ber husk rich in catechins and the local population of northeast |
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