Tests showed that people who drank flavanoid-rich cocoa beverage had ~10-15% increase in blood flow to the brain. those who drank cocoa without flavonoids had no significant increase in brain blood flow. Cocoa that retains its flavonoids is quite bitter, so they are often removed in mass produced cocoa.
Tests were reported by Norman Hollenberg of harvard Med school, et. al. studying the Kuna Indians on the San Blas Islands off Panama (these are the artisans who make "molas" for those of you who are interested in textile folk art). These people have a very low incidence of hypertension and heart attacks, stroke and vascular dementia. when they move from the islands , this protection is lost. the difference between the population who stayed and the people who left the island was their intake of cocoa. on the island, the people drank at least 2 cups /day. the mainlanders typically did not.
(Information from Science News, March 3, 2007, vol 171 p. 142--i am sure Hollenberg's report must appear somewhere, though have not accessed it)

I eat organic chocolate - my favorite brand is a great big bar called-
CHOCOLOVE -yum!
they have two kinds I love strong dark chocolate plain / or with orange ...
http://www.chocolove.com/10greatbars.htm
love.
tena

Compounds In Special Cocoa May Enhance Brain Blood Flow And Improve Cognitive Health
22 Feb 2007

A special cocoa made to retain naturally occurring compounds called flavanols may have the potential to help maintain healthy brain function and chart the course for future research that could lead to new solutions for preventing cognitive decline and dementia, according to a panel of scientists who presented new data at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Several studies suggest that consumption of a special cocoa made to be rich in flavanols, a naturally occurring nutrient abundant in fresh cocoa, may improve blood vessel function. Now, scientists believe the potential blood flow benefits associated with consumption of this flavanol-rich cocoa may extend to the brain -- which could have important implications for learning and memory.

"This research is impressive in that multiple laboratories are coming to the same conclusion about this flavanol-rich cocoa, and the findings give us completely new insights into how this flavanol-rich cocoa may impact health in a variety of ways not previously known," said symposium organizer Harold H. Schmitz, Ph.D., chief science officer at Mars, Incorporated, which helped sponsor the symposium and has supported research on cocoa flavanols for more than 15 years. "The findings raise the possibility that products utilizing this cocoa could be developed to help maintain healthy brain function throughout several life stages. More research examining the potential of this cocoa in this important area of public health need is clearly warranted."

During the session entitled "The Neurobiology of Chocolate: A Mind-Altering Experience?," a panel of scientists presented evidence from several recent studies that demonstrated the enhanced brain blood flow after study participants consumed a specially formulated flavanol-rich cocoa beverage that was supplied by Mars, Incorporated. One study, conducted by Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the United Kingdom, found that the consumption of this cocoa resulted in regional changes in blood flow in study participants, suggesting that cocoa flavanols may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular impairments within the brain itself.

"Our study showed that acute consumption of this particular flavanol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased blood flow to grey matter for 2 to 3 hours," Macdonald said. "This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they may be cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation."

Norman K. Hollenberg, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, presented new findings based on his ongoing work with the Kuna Indians of Panama, who are heavy consumers of cocoa. The indigenous population still living on the Islands near Panama consume a type of cocoa rich in flavanols on a daily basis and experience unusually low rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Hollenberg's latest findings, which are published this month in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, used death certificates to compare cause-specific deaths of island-dwelling Kuna to those who live on mainland Panama -- who do not drink the flavanol-rich cocoa that is so prominent on the islands.

Hollenberg and colleagues found the Kuna Indians living on the islands had significantly lower rates of heart disease and cancer compared to those on the mainland. The relative risk of death from heart disease on the Panama mainland was 1,280 percent higher than on the islands and death from cancer was 630 percent higher. In his AAAS presentation, Hollenberg suggested that the same mechanism resulting in improved blood vessel function that he and others have observed following consumption of Mars' special cocoa could also be responsible for the enhanced brain blood flow he and Professor Macdonald have independently reported in previously published research. Specifically, Hollenberg and others have observed that these improvements in blood vessel function following flavanol rich cocoa consumption are paralleled by an increase in the circulating pool of nitric oxide, a critical molecule in the circulatory system that helps dilate blood vessels and keeps them pliable.

Hollenberg fed flavanol-rich cocoa to healthy volunteers who were over age 50 and observed a "striking blood flow response" that evolved over several weeks. "Since this cocoa preparation is so well tolerated, it raises hope that the brain blood flow response it stimulates can result in maintenance of healthy brain function and cognition, which is an issue that unfortunately plagues many older adults today," Hollenberg said. This advancement in science related to brain health is especially exciting at a time when the nation's 78 million baby boomers are aging. The need to impact cognitive function and brain health will only continue to grow with this aging population.

###

Additional panel members included Henriette Van Praag, PhD, of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, and Hagen Schroeter, PhD, of Mars, Incorporated.

Advancements in Cocoa Science Mars, Incorporated is leading the exploration of the full nutritional and medical potential of cocoa's naturally occurring flavanols. For more than 15 years, the Mars commitment to research is evidenced by more than 100 peer-reviewed research publications on cocoa and more than 30 patents held by Mars scientists.

To help maximize the amount of cocoa flavanols in chocolate, scientists at Mars, Incorporated developed a patented process called Cocoapro® that helps retain consistent levels of cocoa flavanols that occur naturally in cocoa beans. Mars products that are made with the Cocoapro process include Dove® Dark Chocolate and CocoaVia® snacks. Cocoapro cocoa is the most studied cocoa in the world in terms of health impact.

For more information on the many research studies on cocoa flavanols, visit http://www.cocoapro.com/.

Mars, Incorporated is one of the world's top producers of chocolate, and has a strong commitment to health research. With well over 15 years of research into the potential health benefits of cocoa flavanols, and decades of research invested into improving the cocoa plant and farming techniques, Mars, Incorporated has become the global leader in cocoa science. Mars uses patented and proprietary methods of processing cocoa beans to retain much of the naturally occurring flavanols, marking these products with the Cocoapro® seal, a hand holding a cocoa bean to signify the careful handling.

1) Bayard V, Chamorro F, Motta J, Hollenberg NK. Does flavanol intake influence mortality from nitric oxide-dependent processes? Ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cancer in Panama. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2007;4:53-58.

Contact: Lori Fromm
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=63409




Send your press releases to pressrelease@medicalnewstoday.com

I'm sorry to say that I am starting to suspect chocolate as one of the causes that triggers my spontaneous choreic movements. I'm not sure, but it's been happening more and more and whereas before chocolate used to do me good and make my Sinemet dose last longer, it now seems to be disruptive.
What are your experiences with chocolate, everybody?

Hi:

I used to live in Panama and spent time in the San Blas Islands with the Kuna Indians. I don't remember drinking cocoa with them but I do remember drinking it with the Guaymy Indians. They lived in the mountains of western Panama and treated cocoa as a ceremonial drink. We were camped out and every evening they would prepare hot cocoa. Best hot chocolate I ever tasted. So happy to hear that it has a beneficial effect.

All the best,


Lloyd

Wow, Lloyd, hot cocoa with the Kuna indians sounds so exotic. I love molas. I like chicken mole, made with cocoa. Did the Kuna make dishes like that?

Thanks for posting info about this, Olsen and TenaLouise. Do you know where one can buy the stuff?

And so nice to see you Teresa. You've been missed!

Hi ZucchiniFlower

Never had Mole in Panama but had it in West Texas. The Kuna didn't like to have outsiders camped out on the islands where they lived so they gave us an uninhabited island where we set up camp. Every day we would take Indian dugouts to explore the mainland. I got Malaria twice while living the jungles of Panama (14 months). I have akways wondered if the malaria contributed to my PD.

All the best,

Lloyd

Lloyd, it sounds pretty rustic, to say the least. Were you there to explore a new culture?

More details: (Epicatechin is also in green tea.)

Cocoa ingredient 'rivals penicillin'



The health benefits of one ingredient of cocoa are so striking that it "may rival penicillin and anaesthesia in terms of importance to public health". Roger Highfield reports

The ingredient - epicatechin - can reduce the risk from diseases such as stroke and heart failure, Norman Hollenberg, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told the journal Chemistry & Industry.

Prof Hollenberg has spent years studying the benefits of cocoa drinking on the Kuna people on the San Blas islands off the coast of Panama. They drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week. Among the Kuna, he found that the risk of stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes was reduced to less than 10 per cent.


"Epicatechin could potentially get rid of four of the five most common diseases in the western world," Prof Hollenberg told the journal.

The cocoa that the Kuna drink is homemade and very rich in chemicals called -flavanols, notably epicatechin, which is known to have cardio-vascular benefits.

Flavanols are removed from commercial cocoas because they tend to have a bitter taste.

**************

Epicatechin

Cranberry juice is a time-honored remedy for treating urinary tract infections. Early theories assumed that the juice’s effectiveness was due to its high acid content. Recent clinical studies, however, indicate that trimers (three-molecule aggregates) of epicatechin in the juice act to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the cells that line the urinary tract.

**********

"Pure epicatechin consumed by humans had much the same effect as did consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa."

http://www.chocolate.org/health/epicatechin.html


More info on Mars new chocolate:

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060225/food.asp

ZucchiniFlower

I was in Panama many years ago before tourists flooded the place. In the Kuna territory I was part of a support group that was looking for possible routes for the PanAmerican Highway. In the Guaymy region we were exploring for minerals and metals.

All the best,

Lloyd

Medical News Today
Studies Highlight Cocoa's Remarkable Health Properties
12 Mar 2007

Two recent studies suggest compounds in natural cocoa have significant health-giving properties.

One study by Prof Norman K. Hollenberg from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, US was published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences.

Hollenberg spent years studying the effects of cocoa-drinking on the Kuna people in Panama. He suggests that epicatechin, a flavanol found in high levels in natural cocoa, should be classed as a vitamin and is as important as penicillin and anaesthesia in terms of its potential to impact public health.

Although only an observational study, Hollenberg's results from his work with the Kuna has been described as "so impressive" by Daniel Fabricant, a nutrition expert, that it "may even warrant a rethink of how vitamins are defined".

Hollenberg and colleagues used death certificates from 2000 to 2004 to look at causes of death between the Kuna who live on the San Blas islands and those on mainland Panama. The Kuna on the mainland do not drink the flavanol-rich cocoa.

They found that the risk of 4 of the 5 most common killer diseases: cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart failure, is reduced to less than 10% in the island-based Kuna people, who drink up to 40 cups of epicatechin-rich cocoa a week.

Fabricant is vice president for scientific affairs at the Natural Products Association. He suggests that: "the link between high epicatechin consumption and a decreased risk of killer disease is so striking, it should be investigated further. It may be that these diseases are the result of epicatechin deficiency."

The other study, sponsored by Mars Incorporated and conducted in Germany, was published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. It suggests that drinking cocoa rich in flavanols can reverse impairment in the functioning of blood vessels, such as that caused by atherosclerosis.

In this study the participants were male smokers - a group known to have problems with blood vessel function. The participants were given cocoa drinks made with different levels of flavanol: from 28 to 918 milligrams.

In each case, the optimal effect in the blood flow happened after two hours.

179 milligram of flavanols gave a 50 per cent improvement in blood vessel performance, which carried on increasing in proportion to flavanol increase.

The improvement in blood vessel function for the highest level of flavanol, 918 mg, was so great that it was equal to that found in a person with no known cardiovascular risk factors.

They followed this up with a seven day sustained trial, where participants were given three drinks a day, totalling 918 mg, and monitored their blood vessel performance at intervals over the day, and then for a week after they stopped taking the drink.

The researchers said that the blood vessel benefits from consuming the flavanol-rich cocoa for a week was comparable to "long-term drug therapy with statins".

While the improved performance was sustained while they continued to drink the cocoa, after a week of not drinking it, the blood vessel performance returned to their previous levels.

Commercial cocoa production removes flavanols like epicatechin because they taste bitter. They can also be destroyed by many conventional cocoa and chocolate processing methods. Tea, wine, chocolate and some fruit and vegetable also contain epicatechin.

According to a statement that accompanies an announcement of the second study, Mars has patented methods of processing cocoa beans to keep the naturally occurring flavanols in the cocoa and chocolate.

The statement emphasizes that consumers should be aware that "contrary to repeated reports, the percent cacao or cocoa does not indicate cocoa flavanol content. Only careful handling of the cocoa can help to retain cocoa flavanol content."

Nutrionists advise members of the public not to take this news as a reason to increase their consumption of chocolate and cocoa.

"Does Flavanol Intake Influence Mortality from Nitric Oxide-Dependent Processes? Ischemic Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cancer in Panama."
Vicente Bayard, Fermina Chamorro, Jorge Motta, Norman K. Hollenberg.
Int. J. Med. Sci. 2007, 4: 53-58.

http://www.medsci.org/v04p0053

"Sustained Increase in Flow-Mediated Dilation After Daily Intake of High-Flavanol Cocoa Drink Over 1 Week. "
Heiss, Christian; Finis, David; Kleinbongard, Petra; Hoffmann, Arne; Rassaf, Tienush; Kelm, Malte; Sies, Helmut.
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 49(2):74-80, February 2007.

http://www.cardiovascularpharm.com/p...856145!8091!-1


Click here for more information on Chocolate and Health (Mars Inc).

http://www.cocoapro.com/index.jsp

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/heal...p?newsid=65046

My husband(PWP) loves black chocolate which is at least 73% cocoa solids and very bitter to my taste.He has had to give up eating it as it makes his tremor so bad.This add to a list of caffeinated beverages which have the same effect.