Oligomeric Cocoa Procyanidins Possess Enhanced Bioactivity Compared to Monomeric and Polymeric Cocoa Procyanidins for Preventing the Development of Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Impaired Glucose Tolerance during High-Fat Feeding

Abstract

Cocoa is a major source of these flavanols. However, research on the potential anti-obesity and anti-diabetic health benefits of cocoa flavanols is lacking in the literature. Furthermore, the effect that the size of these flavanols has on the extent of its beneficial properties is also unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dietary effects of cocoa flavanols on the onset of obesity, insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance and to determine the impact that the size of these compounds has on the magnitude of this effect. Cocoa extract was fractionated into a monomer-, an oligomer-, and a polymer-rich fraction. Six groups (n=9) of C57BL/6J mice were fed either a control low-fat diet, a control high-fat diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with 25 mg/kg*BW of cocoa extract or one of the three cocoa fractions. After 12 weeks on these diets, the oligomer-rich fraction proved to be most effective in preventing weight gain, fat mass accumulation, elevated fasting blood glucose and impaired glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese mice. This is the first long-term feeding study to examine the relative activities of cocoa constituents on diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance.iii Acknowledgements

Cocoa-rich diet ameliorates hepatic insulin resistance by modulating insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis in Zucker diabetic fatty rats

“…Consistently, the improved glucose tolerance induced by cocoa-rich diet in ZDF rats was accompanied by reduced insulin levels at short term and at long term, which points to the improved hormone sensitivity, as evidenced by a decreased HOMA-IR index. Diminished insulin values have also been reported in insulin-resistant rodents fed with procyanidins from cocoa or grapes [16,31]. Moreover, in our experimental conditions, cocoa reduced body weight of ZDF rats without affecting the food intake, which could contribute to the improved insulin sensitivity, as previously shown for high-fat fed mice supplemented with oligomeric cocoa procyanidins [16].…”

“…1) and fasting glucose at the end of the experiment (Table 3), respectively. In line with this, epicatechin, oligomeric cocoa procyanidins and different cocoa extracts have proved to reduce the glucose levels on diabetic rodents [16][17][18]20]. This short-term effect has been related to the suppression of glucose intestinal absorption by catechins present in cocoa in rodents [16,17], which could contribute to the post-prandial glycemic control and body weight gain, but it has also been associated to an increased postprandial insulin secretion, as shown in humans fed with cocoasupplemented diets [22].…”

“…Indeed, both natural substances alone stimulate key proteins of the insulin pathway and regulate the glucose production in HepG2 cells [15]. In this regard, different studies have demonstrated that cocoa or its main components, such as epicatechin or procyanidins, exert a hypoglycemic effect on several animal models of diabetes and insulin resistance [16][17][18][19][20]. Moreover, cocoa and dark chocolate have been reported to lower glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity in humans [21,22].…”

Hepatic genome-wide expression of lipid metabolism in diet-induced obesity rats treated with cocoa polyphenols

“…Furthermore, CPs decreased the mRNA levels of genes involved in fat uptake, including LPL, and Lipc (hepatic lipase). In the previous studies, decreased expressions of fatty acid synthase (Wang et al, 2014), hepatic lipase (Yang et al, 2013), Scd1 (Ali, Ismail, & Kersten, 2014;Ali, Ismail, & Esa, 2015;Dorenkott et al, 2014) and LPL (Bonen, Dohm, & van Loon, 2006;Gu, Yu, Park, Harvatine, & Lambert, 2014;Janowski, 2002) have contributed to impaired development of obesity and liver steatosis.…”

Chocolate Consumption and Health Beliefs and its Relation to BMI in College Students

“…For example, an animal study found that mice that were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with an equivalent reasonable human dose of cocoa had a lower increase in fat mass compared to the high-fat control group [17]. In another study examining the anti-obesity effects of cocoa in rats found that cocoa decreased body weight gain and the weight of white adipose tissue [18].…”