The cacao bean, more commonly known as the cocoa bean, is the dried and fully fermented seed from the cocoa tree. Extracts from these beans are commonly used for cocoa butter and they are used to make chocolate. A study performed by Cancer Research of Hawaii revealed that cocoa beans have high concentrations of several bioactive compounds with distinct properties that when consumed offer great health benefits for humans.
Antioxidant Benefits
Extracts from the cacao bean have been scientifically proven to have a high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants are chemicals that rid your body of free radicals that cause cell damage and promote disease. A study performed by Ki Won Lee and published in " The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" in 2003 revealed that cacao had much higher concentration of antioxidants than other well known sources of antioxidants such as black tea, green tea and red wine.
Cardiovascular Benefits
Scientific studies have also shown that consumption of cacao has some heart healthy benefits. Researchers from the University of California-Davis were among several research groups that were a part of a multifaceted study involving the Kuna Indians of Panama. The study revealed that epicatechin, an antioxidant chemical found in cacao beans, has a direct correlation with the cardiovascular benefits of cacao. The results of the study revealed that consumption of epicatechin promotes improved blood circulation of the coronary blood vessels, relaxation of the coronary blood vessels, and improved overall cardiovascular function in humans.
Cancer Protection
Scientific research have also indicated that cacao beans possess anti-cancer properties. A study by Carine Jourdain and other researchers in "European Journal of Cancer Prevention" stated that the antioxidants contained in the cacao bean, beta-sitosterol in particular, play a protective role against the development of cancer. The study examined the effect of beta-sitosterol at various concentrations against human prostate cancer cells. The results of the study revealed that the highest concentration of beta-sitosterol offered complete growth inhibition of both metastatic and non-metastatic human prostate cancer cells.
Lowers Cholesterol
Due to the presence of antioxidant in cacao, consumption of cacao has been associated with lowering serum cholesterol in humans. According to BBC News Health, a study performed at Hull University indicated that the consumption of chocolate bars with a high cacao content, such as dark chocolate, yielded lower total blood cholesterol levels and high levels of high density lipoproteins or "good cholesterol." It should be noted that all types of chocolate bars will not yield this benefit. Milk chocolate bars will not yield the same level of cholesterol-lowering benefits because they contain sugar and milk. The higher the cacao content of chocolate, the greater its cholesterol-lowering benefit will be.
References
- BBC News Health: Chocolate Cholesterol Claims Spark Debate
- University of California at Davis: Heart-Healthy Compound in Chocolate Identified
- PubMed.gov: Cancer Protective Properties of Cocoa: A Review of the Epidemiologic Evidence
- American Institute of Cancer Research: The Sweet Benefits of Chocolate
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry": Cocoa Has More Phenolic Phytochemicals and a Higher Antioxidant Capacity than Teas and Red Wine
- "European Journal of Cancer Prevention": In-Vitro Effects of Polyphenols from Cocoa and [beta]-Sitosterol on the Growth of Human Prostate Cancer and Normal Cells
Member Comments