Aduna Super-Cacao Powder | Natural Raw African Cacao Powder for Cardiovascular Health | Ghanaian Low Cadmium Cacao | 275g Resealable and Recyclable Pack

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It’s also crucial to choose a cocoa powder without any added sugars. This allows you to enjoy the natural flavour of the cocoa and gives you control over the sweetness level in your recipes. Cacao trees bear large, melon-sized fruits called cacao pods. These ripen at different times throughout the season meaning they need to be harvested continually. Mood and Cognitive Benefits: Cocoa powder contains compounds that may positively impact mood and cognitive function.

On the other hand, the degree of polymerization, partition coefficient and number and distribution of hydroxyl groups will influence the type of interactions that occur between flavanols and the cell membrane. For example, flavanols can partition in the hydrophobic core of membranes or form hydrogen bonds with the polar headgroups of membrane lipids [ 37].Pretreatment of BAEC and RAEC with epicate-chin prevented oxLDL-elicited downregulation of eNOS protein and par-tially the upregulation of iNOS protein Schroeter, H.; Heiss, C.; Balzer, J.; Kleinbongard, P.; Keen, C.L.; Hollenberg, N.K.; Sies, H.; Kwik-Uribe, C.; Schmitz, H.H.; Kelm, M. (−)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2006, 103, 1024–1029. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef][ Green Version] The cacao bean is a fruit widely recognized as one of the main sources of phenolic compounds with the highest flavanols content of all foods on a per weight basis [ 3]. The content and profile of bioactive compounds of the cocoa depends on a number of factors such as type and quality of the crop, place of culture, type of process (fermentation, drying and roasting), such that in 6 samples of cocoa liquor around the world, the highest to least quantity of the following components: (-)-epicatechin is presented in samples from Ghana, followed by Mexico and Venezuela; (+)-catechin from Sao Tome and Ghana; caffeic acid derivatives from Venezuela, Ecuador and Ghana; (-)-gallocatechin (GC) from Ecuador, Madagascar and Mexico, without presence in the rest of the samples; (-) - epigallocatechin (EGC) from Madagascar, Ecuador and Sao Tome without the presence of these compounds in Mexico and Venezuela; caffeine from Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico; and theobromine from Sao Tome, Ghana and Madagascar [ 4]. About 13 flavanols have been detected and quantified, mainly (-)–epicatechin (0.12–2.83 mg/g), (+)–catechin (0.040-0.090 mg/g), epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate and procyanidins B1(0.035 mg/g), B2 with three different isomers (0.13–0.97 mg/g), B3, B4 with 2 isomers, C1 and D; 7 flavones—luteolin orientin, isoorientin, apigenin, vitexin, ixovitexin; 4 flavanones—naringenin, prunin, hesperidin, eriodyctyol; 4 flavonols—quercetin (0.21–3.25 µg/g), quercetin 3-o-arabinoside (2.1–3.2 µg/g), isoquercitrin (4–4.3 µg/g), and hyperoside; 4 anthocyanidins—cyanidin, and 3 different glycosylated cyanidins; and finally, 8 fenolic acids—vanillic acid, syringic acid, chlorogenic acid, phlorectic acid, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and phenilacetic acid [ 3]. Gottdiener, J.S.; Kop, W.J.; Hausner, E.; McCeney, M.K.; Herrington, D.; Krantz, D.S. Effects of mental stress on flow-mediated brachial arterial dilation and influence of behavioral factors and hypercholesterolemia in subjects without cardiovascular disease. Am. J. Cardiol. 2003, 92, 687–691. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] Broadley, A.J.; Korszun, A.; Abdelaal, E.; Moskvina, V.; Jones, C.J.; Nash, G.B.; Ray, C.; Deanfield, J.; Frenneaux, M.P. Inhibition of Cortisol Production with Metyrapone Prevents Mental Stress-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction and Baroreflex Impairment. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2005, 46, 344–350. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef]

Intake of low PFT cocoa powder vs. middle PFT cocoa vs. high PFT cocoa in normo and mild hyper cholesterolemic subjects Vlachopoulos, C.; Aznaouridis, K.; Alexopoulos, N.; Economou, E.; Andreadou, I.; Stefanadis, C. Effect of Dark Chocolate on Arterial Function in Healthy Individuals. Am. J. Hypertens. 2005, 18, 785–791. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] [ PubMed][ Green Version]Moderation is Key: While cocoa powder offers health benefits, it’s important to consume it in moderation as it is calorie-dense and can be high in saturated fat and added sugars when used in processed products.

This suggests that further studies are needed to fully understand the synergy between procyanidins with different degrees of polymerization, particularly when considering that these coexist naturally in foodstuffs. NF-κB activation and protein expression of adhesion molecules (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and sE-selectin) in PBMC (periphe-ral blood mono-nuclear cells) Ginty, A.T.; Gianaros, P.J.; Derbyshire, S.W.G.; Phillips, A.C.; Carroll, D. Blunted cardiac stress reactivity relates to neural hypoactivation. Psychophysiology 2013, 50, 219–229. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] Turner, J.R. Cardiovascular Reactivity and Stress; Plenum Press: New York, NY, USA, 1994. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef]

Heart Health: The antioxidants in cocoa powder, called flavonoids, have been associated with potential cardiovascular benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease. Consumption of 3 cocoa doses in subjects with LDL ≥3.23 mmol/L, resulted in significantly ↓ serum [LDL], after 4 wk Thijssen, D.H.J.; Maiorana, A.J.; O’Driscoll, G.; Cable, N.T.; Hopman, M.T.E.; Green, D.J. Impact of inactivity and exercise on the vasculature in humans. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2010, 108, 845–875. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef][ Green Version] What I appreciate most about NaturaleBio Cacao Powder is its commitment to maintaining the nutritional integrity of raw cacao. The careful production process ensures that cacao beans’ essential nutrients and antioxidants are preserved. This means that not only do I enjoy the indulgent taste of chocolate in my baked treats, but I also benefit from the natural goodness of cacao. Effect of preincubation of Jurkat T cells (further incubation with or without the addition of either TNF-α or PMA)

The alkalization process neutralizes the natural acidity of cocoa beans, resulting in a cocoa powder that is less bitter and more mellow in taste than natural cocoa powder. Alkalised cocoa also has a darker color, often ranging from a reddish-brown to a deep, dark brown, depending on the level of alkalization. Van Zanten, J.; Ring, C.; Carroll, D.; Kitas, G.D. Increased C reactive protein in response to acute stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2005, 64, 1299–1304. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef][ Green Version] It has been determined that the presence of a mono methylated catechol ring is essential for the inhibitory effect of apocynin, 3′-O-methyl (-)-epicatechin and 4′-O-methyl (-)-epicatechin on Nox activity [ 54, 55]. The latter was corroborated when incubation of 3′-O-methyl (-)-epicatechin in the presence of 3,5-dinitrocatechol (DNC), an inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), showed an increase in the production of O 2 − and a decrease in the concentration of NO, due to its reaction with O 2 − to form peroxynitrite (ONOO −) [ 53]. Epidemiological and clinical studies show and confirm that regular intake of cocoa powder and/or dark chocolate (50%–70% cacao) is related to a decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) (−3.2 to −5.88 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (−2.0 to −3.30 mmHg), as well as to an improvement of the vascular endothelial function (measured as a function of endothelium vasodilatation and an increase in the production of nitric oxide) in groups with some type of cardiovascular disease or with multiple risk factors [ 5, 6, 7]. Cocoa flavanols reduce the blood pressure by increasing the availability of nitric oxide (increasing the nitric oxide synthase activity and reducing the oxidative stress), consequently vasodilatation increases and finally blood pressure is reduced; or, by inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme, interrupting the chain of reactions of angiotensinogen that by the action of renin produces angiotensin I which in turn by action of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is transformed into angiotensin II and finally increases blood pressure [ 8].Borges, G.; Ottaviani, J.I.; Van Der Hooft, J.J.; Schroeter, H.; Crozier, A. Absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion of (−)-epicatechin: A review of recent findings. Mol. Asp. Med. 2018, 61, 18–30. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] [ PubMed] Plasma oxLDL levels were significantly ↓ after 4 wk consumption of 3 cocoa doses (normo and mild Faridi, Z.; Njike, V.Y.; Dutta, S.; Ali, A.; Katz, D.L. Acute dark chocolate and cocoa ingestion and endothelial function: A randomized controlled crossover trial. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2008, 88, 58–63. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] [ PubMed][ Green Version] Gratton, G.; Weaver, S.R.; Burley, C.V.; Low, K.A.; Maclin, E.L.; Johns, P.W.; Pham, Q.S.; Lucas, S.J.E.; Fabiani, M.; Rendeiro, C. Dietary flavanols improve cerebral cortical oxygenation and cognition in healthy adults. Sci. Rep. 2020, 10, 1–13. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] Additionally, there has been a growing interest in the ability of flavanols to chelate redox-active metals (iron and copper). In biological systems, oxidative stress breaks iron homeostasis and increases its intracellular concentration, promoting free radical-producing reactions and increasing DNA oxidative damage [ 41, 42].