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Food & Nutrition

Epicatechin - Heart-Healthy Compound in Chocolate

By UC Davis

Jan 21, 2006, 16:29

 

http://www.rxpgnews.com/health/food/printer_3199.shtml

 

In a multifaceted study involving the Kuna Indians of Panama, an international

team of scientists has pinpointed a chemical compound that is, in part,

responsible, for the heart-healthy benefits of certain cocoas and some chocolate

products.

 

The researchers, who are from the University of California, Davis; the

Heinrich-Heine University of Duesseldorf, Germany; and Harvard Medical School,

hope the findings will lead to new dietary or medicinal methods for improving

and maintaining cardiovascular health.

 

The study showed that epicatechin, one of a group of chemicals known as

flavanols, was directly linked to improved circulation and other hallmarks of

cardiovascular health. Findings of the study are reported in the Jan. 16 online

issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

" Although previous studies strongly indicated that some flavanol-rich foods,

such as wine, tea and cocoa can offer cardiovascular health benefits, we have

been able to demonstrate a direct relationship between the intake of certain

flavanols present in cocoa, their absorption into the circulation and their

effects on cardiovascular function in humans, " said UC Davis biochemist Hagen

Schroeter, who co-authored the paper along with cardiologist Christian Heiss of

the Heinrich-Heine University.

 

" The results of this study provide direct proof that epicatechin is, at least in

part, responsible for the beneficial vascular effects that are observed after

the consumption of certain flavanol-rich cocoas, " Schroeter said.

 

Key to the study were volunteers from the Kuna Indians, who live on the San Blas

islands off the coast of Panama. High blood pressure and other signs of

cardiovascular disease are rare among the island-dwelling Kuna, who are also

known to consume large amounts of flavanol-rich cocoa -- three to four cups per

day. However, previous studies carried out by Norman Hollenberg's research team

at Harvard Medical School have found that Kuna who have migrated to the suburbs

of Panama City on the mainland consume only about four cups of cocoa per week

and, interestingly, do not enjoy the same level of cardiovascular health.

 

 

 

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