School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.
Annu Rev Nutr. 2013;33:105-28. doi: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-071811-150642. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
Cocoa is a dry, powdered, nonfat component product prepared from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao L. tree and is a common ingredient of many food products, particularly chocolate. Nutritionally, cocoa contains biologically active substances that may affect human health: flavonoids (epicatechin and oligomeric procyanidins), theobromine, and magnesium. Theobromine and epicatechin are absorbed efficiently in the small intestine, and the nature of their conjugates and metabolites are now known. Oligomeric procyanidins are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, but catabolites are very efficiently absorbed after microbial biotransformation in the colon. A significant number of studies, using in vitro and in vivo approaches, on the effects of cocoa and its constituent flavonoids have been conducted. Most human intervention studies have been performed on cocoa as an ingredient, whereas many in vitro studies have been performed on individual components. Approximately 70 human intervention studies have been carried out on cocoa and cocoa-containing products over the past 12 years, with a variety of endpoints. These studies indicate that the most robust biomarkers affected are endothelial function, blood pressure, and cholesterol level. Mechanistically, supporting evidence shows that epicatechin affects nitric oxide synthesis and breakdown (via inhibition of nicotinamide adenine di-nucleotide phosphate oxidase) and the substrate arginine (via inhibition of arginase), among other targets. Evidence further supports cocoa as a biologically active ingredient with potential benefits on biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease. However, the calorie and sugar content of chocolate and its contribution to the total diet should be taken into account in intervention studies.
可可粉是一种干燥的、粉末状的、无脂成分产品，由可可树的种子制成，是许多食品的常见成分，特别是巧克力。从营养角度来看，可可含有可能影响人类健康的生物活性物质：类黄酮（表儿茶素和低聚原花青素）、可可碱和镁。可可碱和表儿茶素在小肠中被有效吸收，其共轭物和代谢物的性质现已为人所知。低聚原花青素在小肠中吸收不良，但在结肠微生物生物转化后，其代谢产物被非常有效地吸收。已经使用体外和体内方法对可可及其成分类黄酮的作用进行了大量研究。大多数人体干预研究都是针对可可作为一种成分进行的，而许多体外研究则是针对单个成分进行的。在过去的 12 年中，已经进行了大约 70 项关于可可及其含可可产品的人体干预研究，涉及多种终点。这些研究表明，受影响最显著的生物标志物是内皮功能、血压和胆固醇水平。从机制上讲，有证据表明表儿茶素通过抑制烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸氧化酶影响一氧化氮的合成和分解（通过抑制烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸氧化酶），以及底物精氨酸（通过抑制精氨酸酶）等其他靶点。进一步的证据表明可可作为一种具有生物活性的成分，具有改善与心血管疾病相关的生物标志物的潜力。然而，巧克力的热量和糖含量及其对总饮食的贡献应在干预研究中加以考虑。
