Cocoa & Green Tea Compounds Counter Inflammation

Cocoa & Green Tea Compounds Counter Inflammation

Cocoa & Green Tea Compounds Counter Inflammation

Cocoa and green tea contain high levels of antioxidants, as a number of previous studies have suggested a variety of cardiovascular, brain, and skin health benefits. Whereas cocoa is rich in flavanols, green tea is abundant in polyphenols including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).  Researchers from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service (Maryland, USA) April 20 adult men and women in a study, in which each subject can send a control diet with four cocoa beverages containing between 30 and 900 mg flavanols per day, or ATP matched to a cocoa beverage for flavanol content for five days. After consumption of cocoa beverage, C-reactive protein (CRP)– a marker of inflammation, and 8-isoprostate – a marker of oxidative stress, was markedly reduced. Green tea was found to lower the inflammatory compound, fibrinogen.  Reporting that: “Short-term intake of cocoa and green tea flavanols [us] affect selected markers of one or more measures of oxidative stress, inflammation or hemostasis in obese adults at risk for insulin resistance.”

Although polyphenols are often merely perceived as antioxidants, their biological activities are manifold and include anti-inflammatory actions. A new area of research on polyphenols and health concerns their putative role in cholesterol metabolism, in particular, their high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c)-raising potential. Indeed, some human studies showed that administration of polyphenol-rich foods such as cocoa, green tea, and extra virgin olive oil modulate and increase HDL-c concentrations. This study assessed the effects of polyphenols on intestinal inflammation, using the physiologically relevant Caco-2 Transwell model and using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to trigger inflammation. This study also investigated the mechanisms of actions behind the proposed HDL-c-increasing effects of polyphenols. The data suggest that polyphenols (at least those from red wine, cocoa, and green tea) administered at a dietary dose moderately modulate intestinal inflammation but do not increase cholesterol secretion by intestinal cells or enhance HDL functionality. Nutraceuticals and supplements provide pharmanutritional doses that might, conversely, produce beneficial effects.