16 replies to this topic

[malbecman]

For all you cocoa-heads out there, I found this one to be a nice summary of all the latest human in vivo effects as well as a great description of the manufacturing process of cocoa/chocolate....



Nutr Rev. 2008 Nov;66(11):630-41.
Clinical benefit and preservation of flavonols in dark chocolate manufacturing.
McShea A, Ramiro-Puig E, Munro SB, Casadesus G, Castell M, Smith MA.
Research and Development, Theo Chocolate, Seattle, Washington, USA.
The consumption of high-cacao-content chocolate has been associated with positive health benefits ascribed to flavonol antioxidants derived from the ground, fermented cocoa seeds of Theobroma cacao. However, flavonols impart a bitter, astringent flavor to foodstuffs, frequently masked in chocolates and confections by aggressive processing and adulteration with other flavors. Recent reports have implied that not all varieties of dark chocolate are created equally, and significant caveats exist regarding its potential health benefits. It is perhaps not surprising that extensive processing, dilution, and the addition of flavor modifiers may improve the palatability of chocolate, but could have negative nutritional and clinical benefits. This article examines the chemical composition of chocolate and the clinical data associated with the consumption of flavonoid-rich cocoa. We review the steps in chocolate manufacturing that directly affect the antioxidant levels in chocolate products, and the caveats associated with claims of health benefits from the consumption of dark chocolate.

PMID: 19019025

[kismet]

Can anyone download stuff from "wiley interscience"? I really hate them, always gives me some kind of error related to cookies, even when trying to download via the ip-range of my university.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could send me the review or upload it somewhere.

[TheLorax]

PDF Attached

Attached Files

•  ClinicalBenefitFlavonolsDarkChocolate.pdf   161.66KB   160 downloads

[YBC]

PDF Attached

Thanks!

[Brainbox]

Very interesting article indeed, thanks.

However, one concern that is not inhibitive to the healthy use of cocoa in general but should be a concern in selecting a good source is the contamination with lead. The article doesn't seem to mention this aspect.

[kismet]

They cite an interesting article:

Bisson JF, Nejdi A, Rozan P, Hidalgo S, Lalonde R,
Messaoudi M. Effects of long-term administration of a cocoa
polyphenolic extract (Acticoa powder) on cognitive performances
in aged rats. Br J Nutr. 2008;100:94–101.
"...Acticoa powder [some kind of cocoa extract] improved cognitive performances in light extinction and water maze paradigms, increased lifespan and preserved high urinary free dopamine levels..."

Anyone got access to this gem (british journal of nutrition)? I never can access the really interesting articles, damn it. :-/

[lucid]

Truly the best Cocoa summary I have read to date. I thought I knew a lot about cocoa and its processing, but I just learned a good bit more.

So far the best thing I can find in the store (without paying an extraordinary amount to order online) is trader joe's organic cocoa powder (Non-alkalized). The don't say much more about its processing: (under-roasted or under-fermented?). But it looks like as high a quality product as I can find.

It also appears that almost all cocoa is roasted to 120-150°C before they can even be bought as 'cocoa nibs'. This would suggest that there not much is going to change in the cocoa when seeped in boiling water (something I had been wondering about).

[malbecman]

Hi Lucid,

Yes, I would imagine that the catechin/epicatechin and other flavanols/flavanoids would be relatively heat stable, at least for making cocoa. The absorption of these from cocoa has
already been shown. I will have to look for the TJs organic powder, that sounds like a nice one......

As for the lead issue, I'm not sure how much of that can be avoided, its pretty endemic to the whole cocoa growing region. I dont believe it is such a high health risk,
at least if you are an adult.

Truly the best Cocoa summary I have read to date. I thought I knew a lot about cocoa and its processing, but I just learned a good bit more.

So far the best thing I can find in the store (without paying an extraordinary amount to order online) is trader joe's organic cocoa powder (Non-alkalized). The don't say much more about its processing: (under-roasted or under-fermented?). But it looks like as high a quality product as I can find.

It also appears that almost all cocoa is roasted to 120-150°C before they can even be bought as 'cocoa nibs'. This would suggest that there not much is going to change in the cocoa when seeped in boiling water (something I had been wondering about).

[malbecman]

PM me.......

They cite an interesting article:

Bisson JF, Nejdi A, Rozan P, Hidalgo S, Lalonde R,
Messaoudi M. Effects of long-term administration of a cocoa
polyphenolic extract (Acticoa powder) on cognitive performances
in aged rats. Br J Nutr. 2008;100:94–101.
"...Acticoa powder [some kind of cocoa extract] improved cognitive performances in light extinction and water maze paradigms, increased lifespan and preserved high urinary free dopamine levels..."

Anyone got access to this gem (british journal of nutrition)? I never can access the really interesting articles, damn it. :-/

[Mind]

Thanks for the review. The authors claim the roasted cocoa nib is the first palatable product created during processing. Has anyone ever tried a raw cocoa bean/nib? Most people I know (outside of Imminst) think the roasted nibs taste awful (I like them). How bad could the raw nibs be?

For reference; here is a very in-depth Imminst discussion about cocoa

[Brainbox]

I use nibs that were as much in the beginning of the process as possible that I could get. But they also seem to be roasted and fermented. The taste is, euhhm, surprising if you expect cocoa.... (a combination of sour and bitter)

[suspire]

Thanks for the review. The authors claim the roasted cocoa nib is the first palatable product created during processing. Has anyone ever tried a raw cocoa bean/nib? Most people I know (outside of Imminst) think the roasted nibs taste awful (I like them). How bad could the raw nibs be?

For reference; here is a very in-depth Imminst discussion about cocoa

Well, I used to take nibs that were labled as "raw, organic cocoa nibs"--I assume "raw" means genuinely raw, not roasted; if so, I've had them, and they tasted pretty decent to me. Then again, I have a high tolerance for a variety of foods.

[lucid]

I use nibs that were as much in the beginning of the process as possible that I could get. But they also seem to be roasted and fermented. The taste is, euhhm, surprising if you expect cocoa.... (a combination of sour and bitter)

Well, I used to take nibs that were labled as "raw, organic cocoa nibs"--I assume "raw" means genuinely raw, not roasted; if so, I've had them, and they tasted pretty decent to me. Then again, I have a high tolerance for a variety of foods.

If you are eating lots of nibs, check the iron content. Lots of nibs have an absolutely huge % of your dv of iron. If you are iron deficient this is a good thing, but one needs to be careful about consumption of metals, additionally excess iron may build up in males and later in life cause problems. This is discussed in more detail in the thread mind linked to....

Edited by lucid, 04 December 2008 - 05:13 AM.

[kismet]

Just skimmed the study, at least 10% average life span extension. Impressive. Just need to find out average and max life spans of "Wistar-Unilever" rats, as far as I know rats live longer than mice. Considering the longest lived control made it to ~900d and the longest lived treated rat to ~1000d I don't think those rats were particularly well cared for.

[malbecman]

A 3 yr old lab rat sounds pretty average-lived to me.....

This quote is from a paper by a DVM on lab animals

Nutrition
Volume 21, Issue 6, June 2005, Pages 775-777

Comparing rat’s to human’s age: How old is my rat in people years?
Robert Quinn D.V.M.
Department of Laboratory Animal Resources, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA

Available online 28 May 2005.

Questions often arise when animals are being used as models of human disease and biology: “Is an 8-wk-old rat comparable to a teenager?” “When are these animals considered aged?” and “Is a newborn mouse a good model for a newborn human?” Because these questions are often asked after the study has been conducted, it’s usually very tempting to just “do the math.”

For example, let’s take the question, “How many ‘rat days’ equals 1 human year?” The easiest way to approach this is to make a simple direct comparison between the life span of each, such as:

1 The average laboratory rat lives approximately 3 y.

2 The average humans lives approximately 80 y.

Etc, etc

edited to add reference

Just skimmed the study, at least 10% average life span extension. Impressive. Just need to find out average and max life spans of "Wistar-Unilever" rats, as far as I know rats live longer than mice. Considering the longest lived control made it to ~900d and the longest lived treated rat to ~1000d I don't think those rats were particularly well cared for.

Edited by malbecman, 04 December 2008 - 06:13 PM.

[kismet]

1 The average laboratory rat lives approximately 3 y.

Yeah, I've also seen studies with other wistar strains talking about 21 months average life span only, so the wistar rats in this study seemed rather long-lived (~~24m for controls). However, differences in life span between strains can be enormous. The argument of bad "animal husbandry" always kills any life extension claims, because evidently it's incredibly easier to mop up the damage (e.g. free radicals/ROS going rampant due to stress), than to optimise an already healthy metabolism.
So I'd venture to call robust and replicable extension of species (strain) maximum life span as the holy grail of supplement interventions.

[yoyo]

I wonder if the improved dopaminergic system is just a result of the PEA content. Use it or lose it effect.