Cocoa Polyphenols and Gut Microbiota Interplay: Bioavailability, Prebiotic Effect, and Impact on Human Health

Abstract

Cocoa and its products are rich sources of polyphenols such as flavanols. These compounds exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, accountable for cocoa health-promoting effects. However, cocoa polyphenols are poorly absorbed in the intestine, and most of them cannot reach the systemic circulation in their natural forms. Instead, their secondary bioactive metabolites are bioavailable, enter the circulation, reach the target organs, and exhibit their activities. In fact, once reaching the intestine, cocoa polyphenols interact bidirectionally with the gut microbiota. These compounds can modulate the composition of the gut microbiota exerting prebiotic mechanisms. They enhance the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, while reducing the number of pathogenic ones, such as Clostridium perfringens. On the other hand, bioactive cocoa metabolites can enhance gut health, displaying anti-inflammatory activities, positively affecting immunity, and reducing the risk of various diseases. This review aims to summarize the available knowledge of the bidirectional interaction between cocoa polyphenols and gut microbiota with their various health outcomes.

Spirulina Microalgae and Brain Health: A Scoping Review of Experimental and Clinical Evidence

“…B vitamins, magnesium, and fatty acids easily reach the brain through specific carriers exerting beneficial neuronal effects [ 26 , 28 ]. Moreover, as for other phytoderivates [ 29 , 30 ], spirulina phytocomplex can also affect the brain through a first interaction with the intestinal microbiota. In fact, preliminary in vivo evidence currently shows a bidirectional interaction between spirulina and the gut microbiota.…”

Impact of Dietary Flavanols on Microbiota, Immunity and Inflammation in Metabolic Diseases

“…The mechanisms that have been proposed to explain these biological actions of flavanols on the metabolic diseases are based on their capacity to act as antioxidants and to interact with numerous signaling pathways and DNA [ 11 , 13 , 14 , 62 , 65 ], although these molecular mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. Lately, the binomial relationship between flavanols and microbiota and its impact on health and disease has also started to be considered [ 64 , 66 ]. Noteworthy, the impact of these natural compounds on metabolic diseases in terms of microbiota and immune system remains still largely unknown.…”

“…In addition, the intake of flavanol-rich foods can also modulate the diversity and composition of GM in vivo. It has been shown that flavanol consumption can increase beneficial gut bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, whereas reduce the number of pathogenic ones, such as Clostridium perfringens [ 66 ]. More importantly, cocoa supplementation (the most flavanol-rich food) in rats during 6 weeks was able to modify the microbiota composition and positively modulated the intestinal immune system, through changes in the colonic TLR pattern [ 97 ].…”

Quality differentiation of cocoa beans: implications for geographical indications

“…A recent systematic review has concluded that cocoa consumption plays an important role in the human metabolic pathway through reducing oxidative stress, which is widely known to play a key role in in pathogenesis of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease 79 . Other recent studies have observed the effects of cocoa on the intestinal microbiota composition, which in turn have been linked to an improved glucose homeostasis and gut health 80–82 . Most publications linked those cocoa benefits to phenolic acids, and particularly flavanol composition, compounds that have been found to be dependent on cocoa origin 83 .…”

“…However, quality control techniques continue to aim towards more efficient and appropriate methodologies for the traceability of cocoa signatures. Chemometric methods have been implemented for characterizing key compositional markers such as volatiles, 12,100–103 fatty acids, 104 peptides, 11,67,105 bioactive compounds 82,106,107 and methylxanthines, 58,60 as well as heavy metals 56,108–111 and other contaminants 112,113 . From this perspective, a recent review on the traceability of cocoa origin has summarized and discussed destructive and nondestructive technologies providing examples aiming at assessing cocoa quality, the study of new functional properties, the detection of trace contaminants and the detection of authenticity 10 …”