Bioavailability of (-)-epicatechin upon intake of chocolate and cocoa in human volunteers

Baba, Seigo; Osakabe, Naomi; Yasuda, Akiko; Natsume, Mitsutaka; Takizawa, Toshio; Nakamura, Tetsuo; Terao, Junji

doi:10.1080/10715760000301151

Cited by 218 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…A bioavailability study however refutes this, showing that there was no difference in the acute increases in plasma or urinary concentrations of flavanols after consumption of chocolate or dry cocoa containing the same quantities of flavanols (Baba et al, 2000). Nevertheless, when our analyses were restricted to those studies that strictly utilized dark chocolate in the active arm rather than cocoa beverages (Engler et al, 2004;Grassi et al, 2005a;Grassi et al, 2005b;Balzer et al, 2008;Almoosawi et al, 2010), we observed a stronger reduction in serum LDL concentration (À11.31 mg/dl; 95% CI was À20.79 to À1.83 mg/dl).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis

2011

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Cocoa products, which are rich sources of flavonoids, have been shown to reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dark chocolate contains saturated fat and is a source of dietary calories; consequently, it is important to determine whether consumption of dark chocolate adversely affects the blood lipid profile. The objective was to examine the effects of dark chocolate/cocoa product consumption on the lipid profile using published trials. A detailed literature search was conducted via MEDLINE (from 1966 to May 2010), CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled clinical trials assessing the effects of flavanol-rich cocoa products or dark chocolate on lipid profile. The primary effect measure was the difference in means of the final measurements between the intervention and control groups. In all, 10 clinical trials consisting of 320 participants were included in the analysis. Treatment duration ranged from 2 to 12 weeks. Intervention with dark chocolate/cocoa products significantly reduced serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol (TC) levels (differences in means (95% CI) were À5.90 mg/dl (À10.47, À1.32 mg/dl) and À6.23 mg/dl (À11.60, À0.85 mg/dl), respectively). No statistically significant effects were observed for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (difference in means (95% CI): À0.76 mg/dl (À3.02 to 1.51 mg/dl)) and triglyceride (TG) (À5.06 mg/dl (À13.45 to 3.32 mg/dl)). These data are consistent with beneficial effects of dark chocolate/ cocoa products on total and LDL cholesterol and no major effects on HDL and TG in short-term intervention trials.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis

2011

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“…Catechin was recently reported to be absorbed efficiently through the digestive tract compared to other flavonoids (22). In healthy volunteers, the intake of cocoa drinks or chocolates led epicatechin and its metabolite to reach their peak in plasma at 1 or 2 hours later (23,24). Baba et al reported the correlation of antioxidative effect and plasma epicatechin concentration in rats treated with cocoa powder (20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suppressive Effect of Cocoa Powder on Atherosclerosis in Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic Rabbits

Kurosawa

Itoh

Nozaki

et al. 2005

J Atheroscler Thromb

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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 lowdensity 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. J Atheroscler Thromb, 2005; 12: 20-28.

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“…For an oral administration of cocoa, approximately 25-30% of (-)-epicatechin recovered in urine was as its metabolites. 24) In addition, the maximum level in blood of (-)-epicatechin and its metabolites reached 4.77 ± 0.94 µmol/l at 2 hr after 36 g cocoa intake. (-)-Epicatechin showed antioxidative activity on LDL oxidation more than 0.5 µmol/l.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dose-Response Study of Daily Cocoa Intake on the Oxidative Susceptibility of Low-Density Lipoprotein in Healthy Human Volunteers

Osakabe

Baba

Yasuda

et al. 2004

JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCE

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A four-period crossover study was conducted to evaluate the dose-related response of daily cocoa intake on the oxidative susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in healthy human volunteers. Each supplementation phase consisted of a 14-day feeding period followed by a 28-day washout period. During the period, healthy male volunteers (n = 8) ingested 18, 24 or 36 g of cocoa powder per day (1.3, 1.74 or 2.61 g of polyphenols per day). During the control period, these subjects ingested sugar. LDL oxidative susceptibility was measured as the lag time of conjugated diene formation that started with the addition of a radical initiator, 2,2′ ′ ′ ′ ′-azobis (4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile). Samples were analyzed at pre-, one week, and two weeks post-supplementation. In the 24 and 36 g cocoa powder ingestion period, significant lag time prolongation was observed. We conclude that the ingestion of more than 24 g of cocoa powder per day (1.74 g of polyphenols) clearly protects LDL from oxidation.

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Bioavailability of (-)-epicatechin upon intake of chocolate and cocoa in human volunteers

Cited by 218 publications

References 14 publications

Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis

Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis

Suppressive Effect of Cocoa Powder on Atherosclerosis in Kurosawa and Kusanagi-hypercholesterolemic Rabbits

Dose-Response Study of Daily Cocoa Intake on the Oxidative Susceptibility of Low-Density Lipoprotein in Healthy Human Volunteers

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