Drinking some types of flavanol-rich cocoa beverages often may promote blood flow in the brain and potentially improves brain function such as memory and learning ability, according to new research.

The research results demonstrate the enhanced brain blood flow in study participants after they consumed a specially formulated flavanol-rich cocoa beverage that was supplied by Mars, Incorporated, according to a panel of scientists who were involved in the research.

The findings on the effect of flavanol-rich cocoa on blood vessels were presented yesterday during a session titled "The Neurobiology of Chocolate: A Mind- Altering Experience?" at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), sponsored by Mars Incorporated.

Early studies have already showed 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, particularly in the elderly people.

For instance, one study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and published in the August 2006 issue of the Journal Hypertension showed drinking a flavanol-rich cocoa beverage improved several measures of blood vessel function, especially among older study participants.

But scientists now suggested that a Mars made cocoa with high levels of the naturally occurring compounds known as flavanols may help keep the brain healthy, improve memory and learning, and potentially protect against cognitive decline and dementia.

"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.

"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," Schmitz said.

One study, conducted by Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the United Kingdom, found that the consumption of a cocoa, specially formulated flavnol-rich cocoa beverage supplied by Mars resulted in regional changes in blood flow in the brain of 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."
 
Another study conducted by Norman K. Hollenberg, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital and presented at the meeting suggested that the same mechanism resulting in improved blood vessel function that he and others have observed in subjects who consumed Mars' special cocoa could also be responsible for the enhanced brain blood flow.

Dr. Hollenberg's findings were based on his ongoing work with the Kuna Indians of Panama, who are heavy consumers of cocoa. The residents on the Islands near Panama who consume a cocoa rich in flavanols daily are found to have very low incidence 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 the current study, Hollenberg and colleagues have observed that the 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.

For the study, 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.

It is not news that cocoa flavanols improve blood flow or circulation.  One early study published Jan 17, 2006 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) even identified one active flavanol in cocoa known as (-)epicatechin that can improve the ability of blood vessels to relax. The study was conducted by an international team of scientists from the University of Dusseldorf, Germany; the University of California, Davis; Mars, Incorporated; and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hollenberg was involved as co-investigator in the study.

But not all cocoa products are made the same, according to Mars, which has investigated the beneficial effect of cocoa consumption for more than 15 years resulting in more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles and 80 patents related to flavanols. The company said that most of brands of cocoa on the market contain low-levels of flavanols as much of the naturally occurring beneficial compounds get lost during the processing.  Mars said the company has developed technologies that retain the highest level of flavanol in the cocoa products.
 

Source:

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.