• DOI:10.1155/2012/906252
• Corpus ID: 16442297

Cocoa Polyphenols and Their Potential Benefits for Human Health

@article{Andujar2012CocoaPA,
  title={Cocoa Polyphenols and Their Potential Benefits for Human Health},
  author={Isabel Anduj́ar and Mar{\'i}a del Carmen Recio and Rosa Mar{\'i}a Giner and Jos{\'e} Luis R{\'i}os},
  journal={Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity},
  year={2012},
  volume={2012}
}

• I. Anduj́ar, M. Recio, +1 author J. Ríos
• Published 24 October 2012
• Biology
• Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

This paper compiles the beneficial effects of cocoa polyphenols on human health, especially with regard to cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer prevention. Their antioxidant properties may be responsible for many of their pharmacological effects, including the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and the protection of LDL-cholesterol against oxidation, and increase resistance to oxidative stress. The phenolics from cocoa also modify the glycemic response and the lipid profile, decreasing platelet function and inflammation along with diastolic and systolic arterial pressures, which, taken together, may reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality. Cocoa polyphenols can also modulate intestinal inflammation through the reduction of neutrophil infiltration and expression of different transcription factors, which leads to decreases in the production of proinflammatory enzymes and cytokines. The phenolics from cocoa may thus protect against diseases in which oxidative stress is implicated as a causal or contributing factor, such as cancer. They also have antiproliferative, antimutagenic, and chemoprotective effects, in addition to their anticariogenic effects.