Insights & Discussion
Cocoa consumption significantly reduces markers of oxidative stress in the adult population, affirming its important role in the human metabolic pathway.
This study systematically reviewed interventional studies to determine the impact of cocoa consumption on oxidative stress markers in adults. Numerous databases, including PubMed, Cochrane's library, Science Direct, Scopus, Google scholar and ISI web of science, were searched for all relevant literature up until March 2019. The Jadad scale was utilized to grade the quality of each study. Out of 1402 studies, 48 met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review and 16 were selected for meta-analysis.
The pooled data from the random-effect model provided evidence that cocoa consumption effectively lowered malondialdehyde and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α, but no significant changes were noted in other markers of oxidative stress. The results underscored cocoa's essential function in the human metabolic process by its potential to decrease oxidative stress.
Discover Related Insights
Daily consumption of pecans for a month can help protect against post-meal oxidative stress in aging adults.
2023 Journal of Medicinal Food A 4-Week Pecan-Enriched Diet Improves Postprandial Lipid Peroxidation in Aging Adults Cogan B, Pearson RC, Jenkins NT, Paton CM, Cooper JA
Randomised Controlled Trial Oxidative Stress Pecan Postprandial Oxidative Stress
The abstract outlines a randomized, parallel, controlled trial where 41 healthy adults aged between 50 and 75 were split into two groups. One group consumed 68 grams of pecans every day for four weeks, while the other group avoided all nuts. Blood samples were obtained from all participants before and after the intervention during fasting and at intervals of 30, 60, and 120 minutes after a meal high in saturated fats. Changes were observed in various parameters, including malondialdehyde - a marker for lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glucose, and insulin levels.
The study revealed no significant variances in fasting or post-meal TAC, glucose, or insulin for the pecan consumers compared to the control group. However, there was a noticeable tendency towards a change in fasting lipid peroxidation driven by a minor reduction for the pecan group compared to the control group. Moreover, post-meal lipid peroxidation was suppressed in the pecan group, distinctly different from the control group's results. These outcomes propose that a diet enriched in pecans for one month can provide protection against post-meal oxidative stress in older adults.
Pomegranate and its active components can protect against natural and chemical toxic agents, impacting mechanisms such as oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and liver or cardiac function regulation.
2023 Phytomedicine Protective effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum) and its main components against natural and chemical toxic agents: A comprehensive review Hosseini A, Razavi BM, Hosseinzadeh H
Review Article Oxidative Stress Pomegranate
This paper is a review of various in vivo and in vitro studies focusing on pomegranate (Punica granatum) and its active components, including ellagic acid and punicalagin, and their protective effects against toxic substances. The articles were sourced from multiple databases like Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus spanning all available time periods until the end of September 2022.
The research indicates that pomegranate and its constituents have showcased protective effects against both natural toxins, such as aflatoxins and endotoxins, and chemical toxicants like arsenic, diazinon, and carbon tetrachloride. This protection is attributed to the preventive mechanisms activated against oxidative stress, reduction of key inflammatory mediators, modulation of apoptosis, and signaling pathways associated with cellular growth. Additionally, these components appear to aid in the improvement of liver and cardiac function through the regulation of key enzymes.
Cocoa extract supplementation in older adults reduced cardiovascular disease related death rates, but did not significantly lessen total cardiovascular events.
2022 The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Effect of cocoa flavanol supplementation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease events: the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) randomized clinical trial Sesso HD, Manson JAE, Aragaki AK, Rist PM, Johnson LG, Friedenberg G, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Cardiovascular Disease Cocoa
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 21,442 US adults aged 60 or over, all of who were free of major cardiovascular disease and recently diagnosed cancer. The participants were assigned to either a cocoa extract supplement, which included 500 mg flavanols per day, or a placebo. The intervention phase ran from June 2015 to December 2020. The primary outcome was focused on the number of total cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death among others.
The results showed that during a median follow-up of 3.6 years, there were 410 participants taking cocoa extract and 456 under placebo who had confirmed total cardiovascular events. Secondary endpoints showed reduced death due to cardiovascular disease for the cocoa extract supplement users. However, there was no significant impact on the incidence of total cardiovascular events. Conversely, a lower risk of total cardiovascular events was supported when analyses were censored at nonadherence. Overall, no safety concerns were raised during the trial.
Coconut water and coconut milk ameliorate the negative impacts of heat stress on gastrointestinal health by reducing oxidative stress and suppressing inflammatory responses.
2022 Journal of Food Biochemistry Effect of coconut water and milk on heat stress‐induced gastrointestinal tract dysmotility in rats: Role of oxidative stress and inflammatory response Ajeigbe KO, Oladokun OO, Owonikoko MW, Adegoke GA
Experimental Study Coconut Milk Oxidative Stress
The study enlisted four different temperature exposure groups of rats, namely a control group at 30 degrees Celsius, a heat-stressed group exposed to an ambiance of 40 degrees, a heat-stressed group pre-treated with coconut water, and a heat-stressed group with coconut milk. Measurements such as skin and rectal temperatures, as well as evaluations of gastrointestinal motility factors such as intestinal transit, intestinal fluid accumulation, and colonic motility, were taken before and after a two-hour heat exposure over 14 days.
Noticeable increases in gastrointestinal motility factors were observed amongst the heat-stressed rats. However, the introduction of coconut milk and water appeared to reverse these increases. Furthermore, the elevated cortisol levels and intestinal lipid peroxidation in the heat-stressed rats were significantly reduced with the introduction of both coconut products. Likewise, results showed an increase in antioxidant enzyme activities in the rats that received either coconut water or milk, in contrast to the control group. Similarly, the coconut water and milk were seen to suppress inflammatory cytokines while enhancing others. The study also noted significant improvements in intestinal morphology among heat-stressed rats treated with either coconut product.
The consumption of cocoa or dark chocolate can reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.
2021 Phytotherapy Research The effect of cocoa/dark chocolate consumption on lipid profile, glycemia, and blood pressure in diabetic patients: A meta‐analysis of observational studies Darand M, Hajizadeh Oghaz M, Hadi A, Atefi M, Amani R
Systematic Review Blood Sugar Cocoa Dark Chocolate
A systematic search of databases identified eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 433 participants for meta-analysis. The results demonstrated a substantial reduction in LDL-c levels (WMD: −15.49 mg/dl) and FBS concentrations (WMD: −6.88 mg/dl) following cocoa/dark chocolate consumption. The study emphasizes the potential positive effects of cocoa/dark chocolate on the metabolic profile of diabetic individuals.
The meta-analysis included RCTs focusing on cocoa/dark chocolate interventions in diabetic patients, with a significant pooled analysis showing reduced LDL-c and FBS levels. The findings suggest that incorporating cocoa/dark chocolate in the diet of diabetic individuals could be beneficial for managing lipid profile and glycemia. Further research is necessary to solidify these insights and understand the complete impact on metabolic health.
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