Cocoa May Help Fight Cholesterol

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Cocoa May Help Fight Cholesterol

10:31 a.m. ET (1431 GMT) April 18, 2000 By E.J. Mundell

SAN DIEGO - Cocoa, the compound that gives chocolate its deep, rich flavor, may

also help prevent cholesterol-related damage to arteries, researchers report.

However, they stress that the cocoa they tested was de-fatted cocoa extract, not

the high-fat chocolate found in the average candy bar or cup of hot cocoa.

" Biologically active compounds that are present in cocoa (extract) " appeared to

protect rabbit arteries from constricting under the effects of cholesterol,

explained researcher Dr. Tissa Kappagoda of the University of California, .

His team's findings were presented at the Experimental Biology 2000 conference,

held here this week.

Speaking with Reuters Health, Kappagoda explained that cocoa extracts appear to

be a good source of antioxidant flavonoids - plant-based compounds thought to

fight the chemical processes that link a high cholesterol level to diseased

arteries. Similar compounds found in vegetables, fruits, and tea seem to protect

arteries from harm, and the researchers sought to determine if extracts of the

cocoa bean might do the same.

To do so, they conducted laboratory tests examining the response to cocoa

extract of segments of rabbit aorta (the large artery leading from the heart).

Kappagoda explained that healthy aortas retain the ability to relax - easing

blood flow and keeping blood pressure at healthy levels. Cholesterol-related

damage to the aorta restricts this relaxation, however, sending blood pressure

upwards.

The California researcher reports that exposing aortas to cocoa extract

" produced a relaxation " in aortic tissues. This response was noted in aortas

taken from rabbits fed either low- or high-cholesterol diets.

He said the response was " totally comparable " to that seen in similar tests of

flavonoid compounds from other sources, including fruits, vegetables, and tea.

Although the study received funding from the Mars candy bar corporation,

Kappagoda stressed that there is a big difference between the consumption of

pure, non-fat cocoa extract and high-fat chocolate bars and hot cocoa drinks. He

points out that chocolate manufacturing processes eliminate most natural

flavonoids from much of the commercial chocolate available to consumers, and

between 40 - 45 percent of calories in most store-bought coca drinks are from

fat.

" As a cardiologist, " he said, " I don't recommend (consuming) that, because we

usually try and shoot for a much lower fat content, especially for people who

have heart disease. "

But cocoa lovers can take heart from the fact that, according to Kappagoda, " a

couple of companies are looking at this, and they (hope) to produce a low-fat,

'lite' cocoa drink which will have all the good things and reduce the fat - and

still be acceptable from a taste point of view. "

http://www.foxnews.com/health/041800/cocoa.sml