Eating Dark Chocolates Moderately Can Have Significant Health Benefits Too, Japanese Researchers Reveal

The quote "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is commonly used to encourage people to eat healthily. But now, researchers from the Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) in Tokyo shed light on the multiple health benefits of eating foods rich in the compound flavonoid B-type procyanidin commonly found in dark chocolates, apples, grape seeds, blueberries, tea, and red wine.

The Jerusalem Post reports that if consumed in the right amounts, this compound reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes and helps control hypertension, glucose intolerance, and an imbalance of blood fats called dyslipidemia.

(Photo: Pixabay/AlexanderStein)
Eating Dark Chocolates Moderately Can Have Significant Health Benefits, Too, Japanese Researchers Reveal

What are Procyanidin-Rich Foods?

According to a 2017 paper published in Phytochemistry Reports, procyanidins are polyphenols found abundantly in dietary fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and grains. They are the most common proanthocyanidins built from flavan-3-ols (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin.

Polyphenols are the second largest plant metabolites that are widely studied. Procyanidins and proanthocyanidins naturally occur in the plant kingdom, especially in commonly consumed foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

French scientist Jacques Masquelier discovered proanthocyanidins in 1947, and since then, the study on the compound has begun. Masquelier developed and patented techniques for extracting oligomeric ones from grape seeds and pine bark. Cocoa beans contain the highest concentration, while apples contain eight times the amount of proanthocyanidins in wine on average.

Professor Naomi Osakabe from the Department of Bioscience and Engineering in SIT reviewed the data from intervention trials that support the "hormetic responses" from eating B-type procyanidin-rich foods.

Per the American Chemical Society, hormesis drives biological modifications from cells to higher levels of biological organization. It is also the phenomenon when peak benefits of a substance are achieved at mid-range doses and become lesser at lower or higher doses.

Physiological Benefits of B-Type Procyanidin-Rich Foods

Joining Professor Osakabe in the study are Taiki Fushimi and Yasuyuki Fujii, who conducted in-vivo experiments or animals to understand the connection between B-type procyanidin hormetic responses and activation of neurotransmitter receptors in the central nervous system (CNS).

Their study, "Hormetic Response to B-type Procyanidin Ingestion Involves Stress-related Neuromodulation via the Gut-brain Axis: Preclinical and Clinical Observations," was published in the journal Frontiers of Nutrition, shows the physiological benefits of B-type procyanidin-rich foods to the CNS.

As The Jerusalem Post reports, researchers found improvements in cognitive functions. A U-shaped curve representing the hormesis reaction shows that a low dose of a usually harmful compound induces resistance to its higher doses in the body.

Researchers said more research is needed to know the exact relation between B-type procyanidins and the CNS. They concluded that the health benefits of foods rich in them, such as dark chocolates, remain undisputed.