The curious case of flavour flavanols
Dear Somastars,
When our parents were young, they were told that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Fast forward to today, when we’re told that a single apple will not suffice, but we need another serve of fruit and five more serves of vegetables to keep our doctors at bay.
That’s probably less a slight on apples than a reflection of the number of doctors in our world: these days it’s not just the local GP you have to ward off, but also the phlebologist, cardiologist, ophthalmologist, endocrinologist and forensic pathologist all jostling for your attention.
It’s always nice to remember that cacao is a fruit. Today we’re going to explore the flavanols in Soma Cacao, and the role they play in keeping the cardiologist, neurologist, and even oncologist away.
Three weeks ago we sent an email about polyphenols in cacao (we apologise to anyone who received that email from ‘The Big Player’ - this was a mistake in our editing process, and has nothing to do with what we get up to in our personal lives). To recap, polyphenols are a type of very healthy antioxidant compound found in certain plants, like cacao:
Flavanols are a subset of polyphenols that act particularly on blood flow in the human body. They stimulate the production of Nitric Oxide, and then protect that Nitric Oxide from degradation by free radicals.
Nitric Oxide softens and widens blood vessels. A study in the Age Journal showed cacao flavanols increase vasodilation (which is a measure of our blood vessels’ ability to relax) by 33%.
The relaxation of our blood vessels lowers blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular illness. A COSMOS study conducted over three and a half years on older adults showed that those who consumed 500mg of cacao flavanols each day (about 2 cups of Soma) had a 10% lower chance of developing a cardiovascular disease in that time, and were at a 27% lower risk of death from a cardiovascular event.
Increased Nitric Oxide from cacao flavanols also improves blood flow to the brain. A Columbia University study showed that older adults who had consumed a high-flavanol cacao drink for twelve weeks performed memory tests at levels typical of people thirty years younger.
There is growing evidence that cacao flavanols protect against neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. This is by increasing bloodflow, reducing inflammation, increasing antioxidant activity, and also increasing the presence of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, a protein that supports the growth and survival of neurons.
Other notable health benefits of cacao flavanols include:
- improving insulin sensitivity (which helps regulate blood sugar),
- lowering markers of systemic inflammation,
- protecting the skin against UV damage,
- improving skin hydration, elasticity, and microcirculation, and
- lowering markers of psychological stress.
There are flavanols in other foods, particularly black tea, grapes, and blueberries, but cacao is comfortably the most flavanol-rich food in nature.
That’s why we say - A Soma a day keeps many doctors away.
With hazelnut butter for polyphenols, and cardamom and black pepper for digestive support,
Rose, Alistair, and the team at Soma Cacao
- Tags: Health
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