Cocoa powder, the cheap antioxidant. Everybody should drink a cup of cocoa daily. Snacking doesn't automatically mean weight gain. These healthy snack ideas can help you lose weight by keeping you full and satisfied throughout the day. Weight Loss Systems offers a meal replacement diet plan that will help you lose 2-4 lbs a week. On the New Lifestyle Diet, you’ll lose weight fast with delicious low carb, high protein, liquid diet shakes, bars, and gluten free snacks. Cocoa is a nutritional powerhouse and a superfood. Its health benefits are very many and more are being discovered. One of such benefits is weight loss. Good quality cocoa requires only 2. ORAC units, so a kilogram should last 5. However, as you will also eat other healthy foods, do not plan to get all your ORAC’s from cocoa. See the ORAC score sheet. Cocoa is an antioxidant. Chocolate products have a higher total flavanol content on a per weight basis than many other plant- based foods and beverages, such as apples and red wine. Studies show that flavanols and other flavonoid components in chocolate are rapidly absorbed in humans in a dose- dependent manner. The potential health effects of flavanols in certain chocolates are seen in a variety of functions, including antioxidant properties, reductions in platelet activity (Rein et al, 2. The chemical structure of flavonoids reveals their antioxidant capacity (Steinberg et al, 2. These flavonoids can scavenge free radicals, and chelate (combine with) redox active metal ions. Such bioactive compounds could contribute to the maintenance of an integrated network of cellular and plasma oxidant defense mechanisms, to vascular wall tone, and to a reduction in platelet reactivity with a subsequent reduction in the risk for clot formation. The flavan- 3- ols are the major antioxidant components of different cocoa ingredients and chocolate preparations. How To Speed Up Weight Loss High Daily Intake Of Fruits, Vegetables, Greens and Beans Can Help You Take Control By Jackie Wicks PEERtrainer Founder. Weight Loss Worksheet Please complete steps 1-5 below and click submit. ![]() Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) data show that chocolate, as a whole food, has a potent antioxidant capacity when compared with other phytochemical- rich foods such as garlic, blueberries, and strawberries. Chocolate products have higher ORAC values than most other flavanol- containing foods. Cocoa is a potentially rich dietary source of flavonoids. High concentrations of flavonoids are present in certain cocoas, predominately as the flavanol monomers (. Cocoa powder provides a higher concentration of polyphenols than milk or dark chocolate (Chocolate Manufacturers Asociation). The absorpion of polyphenols can depend factors such as what else you have been eating at the time. ![]() ![]() Blood plasma antioxidant capacity (measured by the total antioxidant potential (TRAP) assay) increased more than 2- fold within 3 hr and remained unchanged for 4 hr after the consumption of cocoa extract (Zhu et al, 2. Blood levels of the polyphenol epicatechin rise after the consumption of chocolate, reflecting rapid absorption. Important cocoa flavanols are epicatechin and catechin. Epicatechin and catechin have a relatively high water solubility. Get your grocery shopping list ready! When you're trying to shed a few pounds, the inventory in your pantry (and the weight loss tools and gadgets) will be the. ![]() ![]() Dietary flavanols, such as those found in cocoa, display variable oral absorption, with reported values varying from less then 1 to greater than 5. Baba et al., 2. 00. Rein et al., 2. 00. Hollman et al., 2. Some of this difference is due to investigations that assess absorption based on urinary vs plasma measures (Richelle et al., 1. Baba et al., 2. 00. In a study by Schramm (2. Other published data showed similar plasma levels (Richelle et al., 1. Wang et al., 2. 00. Schramm’s conclusion was that food can have a significant effect on polyphenolic absorption. The consumption of bread and sugar significantly increased flavanol absorption compared to when they consumed cocoa alone. ![]() Origin of Cocoa. Cacao is the unprocessed cocoa bean from the plant Theobroma cacao and originated deep in the equatorial rain forests of the Americas. Chocolate was first discovered by the Mayas when they used the cocoa bean from the Cacao tree as an ingredient in their favorite drink “xocotlatl. Over the centuries, the use of cacao has evolved to what we now know as chocolate (processed bean in solid or liquid form containing varying percentages of cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk), and commercial cultivation has extended globally to include equatorial regions of Africa and Asia. The unprocessed cocoa bean has a seed coat, also termed bran, which accounts for 1. The bran is a good source of insoluble fiber (4. Cocoa powder contains less than 2% bran (Steinberg et al, 2. Cocoa butter makes up 5. The predominant fatty acids in cocoa butter are saturated (stearic; 1. Palmitic and stearic acid are chemically defined as saturated fatty acids (SFA). Cocoa flavonoids. Flavonoids are found in a variety of foods and beverages, including cranberries, peanuts, apples, chocolate, tea and red wine. Flavonoids are a sub- group of the broader class of polyphenols; there are more than 4,0. Flavanols are a more specific sub- class of flavonoids. Although numerous polyphenolic compounds are present in the cocoa bean, cocoa powder is particularly rich in a subclass of polyphenolics known as flavonoids. Cocoa liquor has three time more ORAC generating antioxidants than dark chocolate (Steinberg et al, 2. The primary flavonoids in cocoa and chocolate are the fiavan- 3- ols (monomers) catechin and epicatechin (monomeric units) and proanthocyanidins (also termed procyanidins), which are polymeric compounds comprising catechin and epicatechin subunits (Zhu et al 2. Procyanidin oligomers make up 1. Time, temperature and other manufacturing processes such as alkalization, can lower the flavonoid content in chocolate. With the proper processing and manufacturing controls in place, substantial amounts of these potentially beneficial compounds can be retained from the cocoa bean. With good production methods, cocoa powder can contain as much as 1. Dark chocolate is formulated with a higher percentage of cocoa bean liquor than is milk chocolate, so it often contains larger amounts of flavonoids. This is an important distinction because not all chocolates are equal sources of flavonoids. The nutrient density (fat content) of a given flavonoid- containing food should be considered when recommending appropriate sources of dietary phytochemicals. Flavonoid bioavailability in humans ranges from 1% to 2. Steinberg et al, 2. There is also a variability between differing compounds such as quercetin, epicatechin, and soy isoflavones. The flavonoid chemical structure largely determes the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, and ultimately the biologic properties of these phenolic compounds. Flavonoids circulating in plasma, including those derived from cocoa, occur primarily as glucuronide, methyl and sulfate conjugates, or combinations thereof, formed through enzyme action in the small intestine and liver. Direct evidence of bioavailability is measured as plasma concentrations of the flavonoid or its metabolites. Indirect evidence can be obtained from biomarkers such as plasma antioxidant capacity, LDL oxidation susceptibility, platelet function, vascular tone, and immune responsiveness. Flavonoid- rich chocolate contains epicatechin (a monomeric flavanol) that is rapidly absorbed in humans. In healthy human adults, plasma epicatechin concentrations can approach 1 . The rise in plasma epicatechin concentrations is dose- dependent and dictated by the flavonoid concentration in the chocolate eaten. Plasma epicatechin concentrations return within six to eight hours to baseline values. Dimeric procyanidins are also found in human plasma after the consumption of flavonoid- rich cocoa. The monomers and oligomers can have markedly differently biological or physiological effects, so research is continuing. Health Benefits. Plant- derived polyphenols are historically a significant and natural constituent of the human diet. Diets rich in flavonoids (a class of polyphenols) have been associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease (Zhu et al, 2. Generally, the consumption of cocoa powder (2. HDL) to LDL. A higher ratio of HDL to LDL is associated with a lower risk for heart disease. In a study where people consumed chocolate with bread and water on two separate occasions: first consuming 4. The total polyphenol intake from chocolate was 8. Blood samples were drawn before chocolate consumption and at intervals of one, two, three and four hours after consumption. Blood analysis found levels of the polyphenol epicatechin rose after consumption of each chocolate sample, reflecting rapid absorption. Another study showed that feeding 3. LDL cholesterol’s resistance to oxidation within two hours of cocoa consumption (CMA, 2. In another trial, the inhibitory effect of the cocoa extract was stronger than ascorbic acid. Examples include beta- carotene, vitamin C, and alpha- tocopherol. Dark chocolate has more than 1. ORAC units and milk chocolate has about 6,7. Chocolate Manufacturers Association. Unsweetened powdered cocoa starts out with almost twice as much antioxidants as dark chocolate, but when it's diluted with water or milk and sugar to make hot chocolate, the flavonoid total per serving plummets to about half that in milk chocolate. In different terms, a 4. A study of a tribe of indians (Kuna Indians living on islands off Panama, Central America ) who consume an average of five cups of cocoa a day has shown that chocolate may prevent high blood pressure. Researchers are investigating a link between consumption of flavanol- rich cocoa and nitric oxide synthesis. There is also a link between antioxidants in chocolate and a reduction in platelet aggregation in blood, and an increase in . Nitric oxide plays such an important role in the maintenance of healthy blood pressure and, in turn, cardiovascular health (Prof Norman Hollenberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 2. Flavanols found in cocoa seem to play a role in helping the body use nitric oxide. Flavanols are one class of a group of naturally occurring substances called flavonoids, which are found in foods such as cocoa, dark chocolate, purple grape juice, and tea. Previous studies have also indicated that eating foods high in flavonoids can have positive effects on the heart. Two clinical studies conducted by Heiss et al (2. Germany, suggest that the flavanols found in cocoa and chocolate products may have positive effects on vascular health.
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