Acute cocoa flavanol improves cerebral oxygenation without enhancing executive function at rest or after exercise

Flavonoids are plant-derived dietary components with a substantial impact on human health. Research has expanded massively since it began in the 1930s, and the complex pathways involved in bioavailability of flavonoids in the human body are now well understood. In recent years, it has been appreciated that the gut microbiome plays a major role in flavonoid action, but much progress still needs to be made in this area. Since the first publications on the health effects of flavonoids, their action is understood to protect against various stresses, but the mechanism of action has evolved from the now debunked simple direct antioxidant hypothesis into an understanding of the complex effects on molecular targets and enzymes in specific cell types. This review traces the development of the field over the past 8 decades, and indicates the current state of the art, and how it was reached. Future recommendations based on this historical analysis are (a) to focus on key areas of flavonoid action, (b) to perform human intervention studies focusing on bioavailability and protective effects, and (c) to carry out cellular in vitro experiments using appropriate cells together with the chemical form of the flavonoid found at the site of action; this could be the native form of compounds found in the food for studies on digestion and the intestine, the conjugated metabolites found in the blood after absorption in the small intestine for studies on cells, or the chemical forms found in the blood and tissues after catabolism by the gut microbiota.

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“…(), although Decroix et al. () showed increased cerebral blood oxygenation with no significant behavioral effect.…”

Section: Bioactivitymentioning

confidence: 98%

The Bioavailability, Transport, and Bioactivity of Dietary Flavonoids: A Review from a Historical Perspective

Williamson

Kay

Crozier

2018

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

438

288

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“…106,107 Tea consumption has further been found to independently reduce the risk for experiencing depression 108 and may have a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. 109 There is clear evidence to suggest that polyphenol-rich products and single polyphenols consistently increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) or modulate brain activity after single doses [110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117] and longer periods of supplementation. [118][119][120][121][122][123][124] However, while most of these CBF studies included an assessment of cognitive task performance or mood, only a very small minority 117,123,124 reported any significant improvements in these domains in comparison with placebo.…”

Section: Effects Of Polyphenols On Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of polyphenols and other bioactives on human health

et al. 2019

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“…Conversely, cocoa flavanols had no acute effects on serum BDNF levels (48). Therefore, these data support the idea that flavanols-induced acute changes in brain perfusion could underpin immediate cognitive-enhancing effects.…”

Section: Acute Effects Of Cocoa Flavanols Intake On Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, these data support the idea that flavanols-induced acute changes in brain perfusion could underpin immediate cognitive-enhancing effects. However, the increased cerebral blood oxygenation was not paralleled by concomitant effects on cognitive performance (48). The young age of participants may have contributed to the lack of behavioral effects.…”

Section: Acute Effects Of Cocoa Flavanols Intake On Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Human Cognition with Cocoa Flavonoids

et al. 2017

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Enhancing cognitive abilities has become a fascinating scientific challenge, recently driven by the interest in preventing age-related cognitive decline and sustaining normal cognitive performance in response to cognitively demanding environments. In recent years, cocoa and cocoa-derived products, as a rich source of flavonoids, mainly the flavanols sub-class, have been clearly shown to exert cardiovascular benefits. More recently, neuromodulation and neuroprotective actions have been also suggested. Here, we discuss human studies specifically aimed at investigating the effects of acute and chronic administration of cocoa flavanols on different cognitive domains, such as executive functions, attention and memory. Through a variety of direct and indirect biological actions, in part still speculative, cocoa and cocoa-derived food have been suggested to possess the potential to counteract cognitive decline and sustain cognitive abilities, particularly among patients at risk. Although still at a preliminary stage, research investigating the relations between cocoa and cognition shows dose-dependent improvements in general cognition, attention, processing speed, and working memory. Moreover, cocoa flavanols administration could also enhance normal cognitive functioning and exert a protective role on cognitive performance and cardiovascular function specifically impaired by sleep loss, in healthy subjects. Together, these findings converge at pointing to cocoa as a new interesting nutraceutical tool to protect human cognition and counteract different types of cognitive decline, thus encouraging further investigations. Future research should include complex experimental designs combining neuroimaging techniques with physiological and behavioral measures to better elucidate cocoa neuromodulatory properties and directly compare immediate versus long-lasting cognitive effects.

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Acute cocoa flavanol improves cerebral oxygenation without enhancing executive function at rest or after exercise

Cited by 47 publications

References 39 publications

The Bioavailability, Transport, and Bioactivity of Dietary Flavonoids: A Review from a Historical Perspective

The Bioavailability, Transport, and Bioactivity of Dietary Flavonoids: A Review from a Historical Perspective

The effects of polyphenols and other bioactives on human health

Enhancing Human Cognition with Cocoa Flavonoids

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