In 2010 I read some articles about what cacao flavonoids can do for the brain and i was intrested because i have an autism form that is even sometimes dificult for me to handle , in 2013 i was official tested about this form called aspergers syndrome this is probably caused by the vaccinations i had when i was a child.
To have less problems in my life with this form of asperger i started a search how to tackle my problem.
I read that you need a lot of cacao flavonoids +500mg a day at least, and that modern processed dark chocolate that is made from fermented beans will not bennefit my health beacuse it does not contain enough flavonoids to be even healthy.
And found this in a presentation from Prof. Dr. Rodger Corder where he mentioned some of the the health bennefits.
On my journey i also stubled on a book written by Dr Philip Minton who wrote a chocolate book that was full of information and studdies about chocolate so i contacted him and he gave me this interview on Mp3 he had about his book.
Just listen to this short Interview with Dr Philip Milton about chocolate and why it also can be healthy.
On my search to realy high flavonoid cacao and chocolate products i stubled upon 2 companies one of them ferments their cacao beans but they cold press the beans to have a good type of cacao this company you can find here
And one company that uses wild equadorian nonfermented cacao beans and they print on their chocolate the lowest amount thats in a 10 gram square of >800mg Flavonoids check this out here because they use sound waves to kill bacteria parasites and more they dont need to ferment their beans and never heat from cacao pod to product over a 88F .
(This is the one we use most often because they are the only company with their flavonoid value on the label like Dr Roger Corder mentioned in his presentation. )
Some study's:
Dietary cocoa flavanols reverse age-related memory decline in healthy older adults
The cocoa flavanol (−)-epicatechin protects the cortisol response
HEALTHY BLOOD PRESSURE AND BLOOD CIRCULATION
- Chocolate Is Linked to 40+ Health Benefits
- Cocoa and chocolate helps maintain a healthy blood pressure and blood circulation.
Scientific Reference
Balzer J, Rassaf T, Heiss C, Kleinbongard P, Lauer T, Merx M, Heussen N, Gross HB, Keen CL, Schroeter H, Kelm M, 2008. Sustained benefits in vascular function through flavanol-containing cocoa in medicated diabetic patients a double-masked, randomized, controlled trial. J Am Coll Cardiol, 51, 2141-2149. Corti, R., A. Flammer, N. K. Hollenberg and T. Lüscher (2009). "Cocoa and cardiovascular health." Circulation 119: 1433-1441. Davison K, Coates AM, Buckley JD, Howe PR, 2008. Effect of cocoa flavanols and exercise on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese subjects. Int J Obes (Lond), 32, 1289-1296. Ding EL, Hutfless SM, Ding X, Girotra S, 2006. Chocolate and prevention of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review. Nutr Metab (Lond), 3, 2. Engler MB, Engler MM, Chen CY, Malloy MJ, Browne A, Chiu EY, Kwak HK, Milbury P, Paul SM, Blumberg J, Mietus-Snyder ML, 2004. Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate improves endothelial function and increases plasma epicatechin concentrations in healthy adults. J Am Coll Nutr, 23, 197-204. Faridi Z, Njike VY, Dutta S, Ali A, Katz DL, 2008. Acute dark chocolate and cocoa ingestion and endothelial function: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 88, 58-63. Flammer AJ, Hermann F, Sudano I, Spieker L, Hermann M, Cooper KA, Serafini M, Luscher TF, Ruschitzka F, Noll G, Corti R, 2007. Dark chocolate improves coronary vasomotion and reduces platelet reactivity. Circulation, 116, 2376-2382. Grassi, D., G. Desideri, S. Necozione, C. Lippi, R. Casala, G. Properzi, J. Blumberg and C. Ferri (2008). "Blood pressure is reduced and insulin sensitivity increased in glucose-tolerant, hypertensive subjects after 15 days of consuming high-polyphenol dark chocolate." J Nutr 138: 1671-1676. Heiss C, Finis D, Kleinbongard P, Hoffmann A, Rassaf T, Kelm M, Sies H, 2007. Sustained increase in flow-mediated dilation after daily intake of high-flavanol cocoa drink over 1 week. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol, 49, 74-80. Hooper L, Kroon PA, Rimm EB, Cohn JS, Harvey I, Le Cornu KA, Ryder JJ, Hall WL, Cassidy A, 2008. Flavonoids, flavonoid-rich foods, and cardiovascular risk: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr, 88, 38-50. Innes AJ, Kennedy G, McLaren M, Bancroft AJ, Belch JJ, 2003. Dark chocolate inhibits platelet aggregation in healthy volunteers. Platelets, 14, 325-327. McCullough ML, Chevaux K, Jackson L, Preston M, Martinez G, Schmitz HH, Coletti C, Campos H, Hollenberg NK, 2006. Hypertension, the Kuna, and the epidemiology of flavanols. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol, 47 Suppl 2, S103-109; discussion 119-121. Schroeter H, Heiss C, Balzer J, Kleinbongard P, Keen CL, Hollenberg NK, Sies H, Kwik-Uribe C, Schmitz HH, Kelm M, 2006. (-)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 103, 1024-1029. Taubert, D., R. Roesen, C. Lehmann, N. Jung and E. Schömig (2007). "Effects of low habitual cocoa intake on blood pressure and bioactive nitric oxide." Jama 298: 49-60. Taubert D, Roesen R, Schomig E, 2007. Effect of cocoa and tea intake on blood pressure: a meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med, 167, 626-634. Vlachopoulos C, Aznaouridis K, Alexopoulos N, Economou E, Andreadou I, Stefanadis C, 2005. Effect of dark chocolate on arterial function in healthy individuals. Am J Hypertens, 18, 785-791.
PROTECTS THE BRAIN
Scientific References
Crews Jr, W. D., D. W. Harrison and J. W. Wright (2008). "A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of the effects of dark chocolate and cocoa on variables associated with neuropsychological functioning and cardiovascular health : clinical findings from a sample of healthy, cognitively intact older adults." Am J Clin Nutr 87: 872-880. Dinges, D. F. (2006). "Cocoa flavanols, cerebral blood flow, cognition, and health : going forward." J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 47. Fisher, N. D. L., F. A. Sorond and N. K. Hollenberg (2006). "Cocoa flavanols and brain perfusion." J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 47: S210-S214. Francis, S. T., K. Head, P. G. Morris and I. A. Macdonald (2006). "The effect of flavanol-rich cocoa on the fMRI response to a cognitive task in healthy young people." J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 47: S215-S220. Letenneur, L., C. Proust-Lima, A. Le Gouge, J. F. Dartigues and P. Barberger-Gateau (2007). "Flavonoid intake and cognitive decline over a 10-year period." Am J Epidemiol 165: 1364-1371. Nurk, E., H. Refsum, C. A. Drevon, G. S. Tell, H. A. Nygaard, K. Engedal and A. D. Smith (2009). "Intake of flavonoid-rich wine, tea and chocolate by elderly men and women is associated with better cognitive test performance." J. Nutr. 139: 120-127. Sorond, F. A., L. A. Lipsitz, N. K. Hollenberg and N. D. Fisher (2008). "Cerebral blood flow response to flavanol-rich cocoa in healthy elderly humans." Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 4(2): 433-440.
KEEP YOU YOUNG AND FIT
Cocoa and chocolate strengthens your natural resistance against oxidative stress.
Scientific proof and research
Cooper KA, Donovan JL, Waterhouse AL, Williamson G, 2007. Cocoa and health: a decade of research. Br J Nutr, 99, 1-11.
Flammer AJ, Hermann F, Sudano I, Spieker L, Hermann M, Cooper KA, Serafini M, Luscher TF, Ruschitzka F, Noll G, Corti R, 2007.
Dark chocolate improves coronary vasomotion and reduces platelet reactivity. Circulation, 116, 2376-2382.
Fraga CG, Actis-Goretta L, Ottaviani JI, Carrasquedo F, Lotito SB, Lazarus S, Schmitz HH, Keen CL, 2005. Regular consumption of a flavanol-rich chocolate can improve oxidant stress in young soccer players. Clin Dev Immunol, 12, 11-17.
Fraga CG, 2007. Plant polyphenols: how to translate their in vitro antioxidant actions to in vivo conditions. IUBMB Life, 59, 308-315.
Hirano R, Osakabe N, Iwamoto A, Matsumoto A, Natsume M, Takizawa T, Igarashi O, Itakura H, Kondo K, 2000. Antioxidant effects of polyphenols in chocolate on low-density lipoprotein both in vitro and ex vivo. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 46, 199-204.
Keen CL, Holt RR, Oteiza PI, Fraga CG, Schmitz HH, 2005. Cocoa antioxidants and cardiovascular health. Am J Clin Nutr, 81, 298S-303S.
Mursu J, Voutilainen S, Nurmi T, Rissanen TH, Virtanen JK, Kaikkonen J, Nyyssonen K, Salonen JT, 2004. Dark chocolate consumption increases HDL cholesterol concentration and chocolate fatty acids may inhibit lipid peroxidation in healthy humans. Free Radic Biol Med, 37, 1351-1359.
Rein D, Lotito S, Holt RR, Keen CL, Schmitz HH, Fraga CG, 2000. Epicatechin in human plasma: in vivo determination and effect of chocolate consumption on plasma oxidation status. J Nutr, 130, 2109S-2114S.
Roura E, Almajano MP, Bilbao ML, Andres-Lacueva C, Estruch R, Lamuela-Raventos RM, 2007. Human urine: epicatechin metabolites and antioxidant activity after cocoa beverage intake. Free Radic Res, 41, 943-949.
Scalbert A, Johnson IT, Saltmarsh M, 2005. Polyphenols: antioxidants and beyond. Am J Clin Nutr, 81, 215S-217S.
Serafini M, Bugianesi R, Maiani G, Valtuena S, De Santis S, Crozier A, 2003. Plasma antioxidants from chocolate. Nature, 424, 1013.
Vinson JA, Proch J, Bose P, Muchler S, Taffera P, Shuta D, Samman N, Agbor GA, 2006. Chocolate is a powerful ex vivo and in vivo antioxidant, an antiatherosclerotic agent in an animal model, and a significant contributor to antioxidants in the European and American Diets. J Agric Food Chem, 54, 8071-8076.
Wang JF, Schramm DD, Holt RR, Ensunsa JL, Fraga CG, Schmitz HH, Keen CL, 2000. A dose-response effect from chocolate consumption on plasma epicatechin and oxidative damage. J Nutr, 130, 2115S-2119S.
Wiswedel I, Hirsch D, Kropf S, Gruening M, Pfister E, Schewe T, Sies H, 2004. Flavanol-rich cocoa drink lowers plasma F(2)-isoprostane concentrations in humans. Free Radic Biol Med, 37, 411-421.