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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 10, 2015 23:27:14 GMT -5
This is a little off topic for this site. There is some recent research showing that the epicatechins in truly raw cocoa powder not only prevent alzheimers, but unroll at least some of the damage. In mouse models. So, I'm looking for a source for such cocoa powder, to drink as a preventative measure just in case. In the first study, they used something called lavado cocoa powder, which is from unfermented beans, with roasting, though undutched. Both regular and dutched had no effect, while this lavado did. The second study used Cocoa Via, an extract from unfermented, unroasted beans. This was the one that had the best effect. It turns out that fermentation is the most damaging to the special chemical components, while roasting is less harmful. Dutching basically destroys the good compounds by converting them to other forms that aren't effective.
Unfortunately, to get the best chocolate flavor, fermenting, roasting, and dutching are required. So, for flavor, the most processed wins, for health the least processed wins.
There are no special health benefits associated with cocoa butter. And lots of calories. Thus the reason I want the powder after the butter is extracted, and not raw beans or nibs.
Of course, I could buy the Cocoa Via supplement, but I think it is more than just the chemicals. There is a tribe that lives on an island off the east coast of Panama, and they drink a beverage made from raw cocoa beans several times a day. They are long lived, and show extraordinary health, and dementia is rare. The members who go to the urban areas of Panama where they don't drink the cocoa are subject to all the ills of the rest of us. Of course, this is anecdotal, and there could be other reasons. But it is suggestive of the health benefits of raw cocoa.
I'm asking here because you are experts about chocolate, and I haven't been able to find such cocoa powder. All the powder I can find seems to be from fermented beans, even when it is kept unroasted and undutched.
Anyone know of a source for such a thing?
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 11, 2015 19:08:11 GMT -5
I'm the primary researcher on many of those studies. I can't stress enough how bad an idea what you're proposing is. I would strongly suggest you both research here the cons of raw (covered extensively here) as well as re-visit the primary research, as you've misinterpreted some of the information.
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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 12, 2015 11:24:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the response. Here is an abstract of one of the studies. This didn't relate to Alzheimers, but normal memory decline. Of course the results are preliminary, and from a small study, but they are in humans, and the outcome is pretty dramatic.
Dietary flavanols reverse age-related memory decline Findings strengthen link between specific brain region and normal memory decline
IMAGE: Dietary cocoa flavanols -- naturally occurring bioactives found in cocoa -- reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults, according to a study led by Columbia University Medical Center scientists....
NEW YORK, NY (October 26, 2014)—Dietary cocoa flavanols—naturally occurring bioactives found in cocoa—reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults, according to a study led by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) scientists. The study, published today in the advance online issue of Nature Neuroscience, provides the first direct evidence that one component of age-related memory decline in humans is caused by changes in a specific region of the brain and that this form of memory decline can be improved by a dietary intervention.
As people age, they typically show some decline in cognitive abilities, including learning and remembering such things as the names of new acquaintances or where one parked the car or placed one's keys. This normal age-related memory decline starts in early adulthood but usually does not have any noticeable impact on quality of life until people reach their fifties or sixties. Age-related memory decline is different from the often-devastating memory impairment that occurs with Alzheimer's, in which a disease process damages and destroys neurons in various parts of the brain, including the memory circuits.
Previous work, including by the laboratory of senior author Scott A. Small, MD, had shown that changes in a specific part of the brain—the dentate gyrus—are associated with age-related memory decline. Until now, however, the evidence in humans showed only a correlational link, not a causal one. To see if the dentate gyrus is the source of age-related memory decline in humans, Dr. Small and his colleagues tested whether compounds called cocoa flavanols can improve the function of this brain region and improve memory. Flavanols extracted from cocoa beans had previously been found to improve neuronal connections in the dentate gyrus of mice. IMAGE: The brain area outlined in yellow is the hippocampus; the dentate gyrus is shown in green and the entorhinal cortex in purple. Previous work, including by the laboratory of senior...
Dr. Small is the Boris and Rose Katz Professor of Neurology (in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, the Sergievsky Center, and the Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry) and director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in the Taub Institute at CUMC.
A cocoa flavanol-containing test drink prepared specifically for research purposes was produced by the food company Mars, Incorporated, which also partly supported the research, using a proprietary process to extract flavanols from cocoa beans. Most methods of processing cocoa remove many of the flavanols found in the raw plant.
In the CUMC study, 37 healthy volunteers, ages 50 to 69, were randomized to receive either a high-flavanol diet (900 mg of flavanols a day) or a low-flavanol diet (10 mg of flavanols a day) for three months. Brain imaging and memory tests were administered to each participant before and after the study. The brain imaging measured blood volume in the dentate gyrus, a measure of metabolism, and the memory test involved a 20-minute pattern-recognition exercise designed to evaluate a type of memory controlled by the dentate gyrus.
"When we imaged our research subjects' brains, we found noticeable improvements in the function of the dentate gyrus in those who consumed the high-cocoa-flavanol drink," said lead author Adam M. Brickman, PhD, associate professor of neuropsychology at the Taub Institute.
IMAGE: The dentate gyrus is distinct from the entorhinal cortex, the hippocampal region affected in early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Previous work, including by the laboratory of senior author Scott A. Small, M.D.,...
The high-flavanol group also performed significantly better on the memory test. "If a participant had the memory of a typical 60-year-old at the beginning of the study, after three months that person on average had the memory of a typical 30- or 40-year-old," said Dr. Small. He cautioned, however, that the findings need to be replicated in a larger study—which he and his team plan to do.
Flavanols are also found naturally in tea leaves and in certain fruits and vegetables, but the overall amounts, as well as the specific forms and mixtures, vary widely.
The precise formulation used in the CUMC study has also been shown to improve cardiovascular health. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston recently launched an NIH-funded study of 18,000 men and women to see whether flavanols can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
The researchers point out that the product used in the study is not the same as chocolate, and they caution against an increase in chocolate consumption in an attempt to gain this effect.
Two innovations by the investigators made the study possible. One was a new information-processing tool that allows the imaging data to be presented in a single, three-dimensional snapshot, rather than in numerous individual slices. The tool was developed in Dr. Small's lab by Usman A. Khan, an MD-PhD student in the lab, and Frank A. Provenzano, a biomedical engineering graduate student at Columbia. The other innovation was a modification to a classic neuropsychological test, allowing the researchers to evaluate memory function specifically localized to the dentate gyrus. The revised test was developed by Drs. Brickman and Small.
Besides flavanols, exercise has been shown in previous studies, including those of Dr. Small, to improve memory and dentate gyrus function in younger people. In the current study, the researchers were unable to assess whether exercise had an effect on memory or on dentate gyrus activity. "Since we didn't reach the intended VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) target," said Dr. Small, "we couldn't evaluate whether exercise was beneficial in this context. This is not to saythat exercise is not beneficial for cognition. It may be that older people need more intense exercise to reach VO2max levels that have therapeutic effects."
I'll look on the rest of the site for the information you mention about the cons of consuming raw cocoa.
And I'll look for the abstract of the earlier study, the one related to alzheimers and the mouse model, and post it if I find it.
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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 12, 2015 11:44:27 GMT -5
Here's the lavado cocoa abstract.
Cocoa extract may counter specific mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease Date: June 23, 2014 Source: Mount Sinai Medical Center Summary: Insights into mechanisms behind cocoa’s benefit may lead to new treatments or dietary regimens for those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Lavado cocoa is primarily composed of polyphenols, antioxidants also found in fruits and vegetables, with past studies suggesting that they prevent degenerative diseases of the brain.
A specific preparation of cocoa-extract called Lavado may reduce damage to nerve pathways seen in Alzheimer's disease patients' brains long before they develop symptoms, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published June 20 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (JAD).
Specifically, the study results, using mice genetically engineered to mimic Alzheimer's disease, suggest that Lavado cocoa extract prevents the protein β-amyloid- (Aβ) from gradually forming sticky clumps in the brain, which are known to damage nerve cells as Alzheimer's disease progresses.
Lavado cocoa is primarily composed of polyphenols, antioxidants also found in fruits and vegetables, with past studies suggesting that they prevent degenerative diseases of the brain.
The Mount Sinai study results revolve around synapses, the gaps between nerve cells. Within healthy nerve pathways, each nerve cell sends an electric pulse down itself until it reaches a synapse where it triggers the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters that float across the gap and cause the downstream nerve cell to "fire" and pass on the message.
The disease-causing formation of Aβ oligomers -- groups of molecules loosely attracted to each other -build up around synapses. The theory is that these sticky clumps physically interfere with synaptic structures and disrupt mechanisms that maintain memory circuits' fitness. In addition, Aβ triggers immune inflammatory responses, like an infection, bringing an on a rush of chemicals and cells meant to destroy invaders but that damage our own cells instead.
"Our data suggest that Lavado cocoa extract prevents the abnormal formation of Aβ into clumped oligomeric structures, to prevent synaptic insult and eventually cognitive decline," says lead investigator Giulio Maria Pasinetti, MD, PhD, Saunders Family Chair and Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Given that cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease is thought to start decades before symptoms appear, we believe our results have broad implications for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Evidence in the current study is the first to suggest that adequate quantities of specific cocoa polyphenols in the diet over time may prevent the glomming together of Aβ into oligomers that damage the brain, as a means to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
The research team led by Dr. Pasinetti tested the effects of extracts from Dutched, Natural, and Lavado cocoa, which contain different levels of polyphenols. Each cocoa type was evaluated for its ability to reduce the formation of Aβ oligomers and to rescue synaptic function. Lavado extract, which has the highest polyphenol content and anti-inflammatory activity among the three, was also the most effective in both reducing formation of Aβ oligomers and reversing damage to synapses in the study mice.
"There have been some inconsistencies in medical literature regarding the potential benefit of cocoa polyphenols on cognitive function," says Dr. Pasinetti. "Our finding of protection against synaptic deficits by Lavado cocoa extract, but not Dutched cocoa extract, strongly suggests that polyphenols are the active component that rescue synaptic transmission, since much of the polyphenol content is lost by the high alkalinity in the Dutching process."
Because loss of synaptic function may have a greater role in memory loss than the loss of nerve cells, rescue of synaptic function may serve as a more reliable target for an effective Alzheimer's disease drug, said Dr. Pasinetti.
The new study provides experimental evidence that Lavado cocoa extract may influence Alzheimer's disease mechanisms by modifying the physical structure of Aβ oligomers. It also strongly supports further studies to identify the metabolites of Lavado cocoa extract that are active in the brain and identify potential drug targets.
In addition, turning cocoa-based Lavado into a dietary supplement may provide a safe, inexpensive and easily accessible means to prevent Alzheimer's disease, even in its earliest, asymptomatic stages.
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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 12, 2015 11:51:16 GMT -5
As far as the first study is concerned, I probably got it mixed with this study abstract. There is so much research out there, and it flows constantly.
Drug quickly reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice Case Western Reserve researchers discover FDA-approved drug rapidly clears amyloid from the brain and reverses cognitive defects
Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show that use of a drug in mice appears to quickly reverse the pathological, cognitive and memory deficits caused by the onset of Alzheimer's. The results point to the significant potential that the medication, bexarotene, has to help the roughly 5.4 million Americans suffering from the progressive brain disease.
Bexarotene has been approved for the treatment of cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for more than a decade. These experiments explored whether the medication might also be used to help patients with Alzheimer's disease, and the results were more than promising.
Alzheimer's disease arises in large part from the body's inability to clear naturally-occurring amyloid beta from the brain. In 2008 Case Western Reserve researcher Gary Landreth, PhD, professor of neurosciences, discovered that the main cholesterol carrier in the brain, Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), facilitated the clearance of the amyloid beta proteins. Landreth, a professor of neurosciences in the university's medical school, is the senior author of this study as well.
Landreth and his colleagues chose to explore the effectiveness of bexarotene for increasing ApoE expression. The elevation of brain ApoE levels, in turn, speeds the clearance of amyloid beta from the brain. Bexarotene acts by stimulating retinoid X receptors (RXR), which control how much ApoE is produced.
In particular, the researchers were struck by the speed with which bexarotene improved memory deficits and behavior even as it also acted to reverse the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. The present view of the scientific community is that small soluble forms of amyloid beta cause the memory impairments seen in animal models and humans with the disease. Within six hours of administering bexarotene, however, soluble amyloid levels fell by 25 percent; even more impressive, the effect lasted as long as three days. Finally, this shift was correlated with rapid improvement in a broad range of behaviors in three different mouse models of Alzheimer's.
One example of the improved behaviors involved the typical nesting instinct of the mice. When Alzheimer's-diseased mice encountered material suited for nesting – in this case, tissue paper – they did nothing to create a space to nest. This reaction demonstrated that they had lost the ability to associate the tissue paper with the opportunity to nest. Just 72 hours after the bexarotene treatment, however, the mice began to use the paper to make nests. Administration of the drug also improved the ability of the mice to sense and respond to odors.
Bexarotene treatment also worked quickly to stimulate the removal of amyloid plaques from the brain. The plaques are compacted aggregates of amyloid that form in the brain and are the pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that more than half of the plaques had been cleared within 72 hours. Ultimately, the reduction totaled 75 percent. It appears that the bexarotene reprogrammed the brain's immune cells to "eat" or phagocytose the amyloid deposits. This observation demonstrated that the drug addresses the amount of both soluble and deposited forms of amyloid beta within the brain and reverses the pathological features of the disease in mice.
This study identifies a link between the primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and a potential therapy to address it. Humans have three forms of ApoE: ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4. Possession of the ApoE4 gene greatly increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease. Previously, the Landreth laboratory had shown that this form of ApoE was impaired in its ability of clear amyloid. The new work suggests that elevation of ApoE levels in the brain may be an effective therapeutic strategy to clear the forms of amyloid associated with impaired memory and cognition.
"This is an unprecedented finding," says Paige Cramer, PhD candidate at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and first author of the study. "Previously, the best existing treatment for Alzheimer's disease in mice required several months to reduce plaque in the brain."
Added Professor Landreth: "This is a particularly exciting and rewarding study because of the new science we have discovered and the potential promise of a therapy for Alzheimer's disease. We need to be clear; the drug works quite well in mouse models of the disease. Our next objective is to ascertain if it acts similarly in humans. We are at an early stage in translating this basic science discovery into a treatment."
Daniel Wesson, PhD, assistant professor of neurosciences at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and co-author of the study agreed.
"Many often think of Alzheimer's as a problem of remembering and learning, but the prevalent reality is this disease spreads throughout the brain, resulting in serious insults to numerous functions," he said. "The results of this study, showing the preservation of behaviors across a wide spectrum, and accompanying brain function, are tremendously exciting and suggest great promise in the utility of this approach in treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
Bexarotene has a good safety and side-effect profile. The Case Western Reserve researchers hope these attributes will help speed the transition to clinical trials of the drug.
Professor Landreth said modest resources funded this self-described "far-fetched idea." Crucial support came from the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Foundation, the Thome Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 12, 2015 12:32:26 GMT -5
Hi Helmsalee - you're right, in that cocoa *can* be loaded with flavanols - which have a strong link to cardiovascular health (largely through vasoconstriction and platelet aggregation benefits). I say *can* because how that cacao is processed has a HUGE impact on the retention of the flavanols. First, the cacao beans must be mature and disease free (many farmers harvest prematurely). Second, if those beans are fermented, each minute fermentation progresses, it destroys the flavanols. Third, if the cacao is them roasted (which is must be to make it safe), for every degree higher temp it's roasted and for every minute longer it's roasted, it destroy's flavanols. Finally, if the cocoa is alkalized, that will effectively guarantee whatever remains has been destroyed. Short answer to say 'yes' it can be beneficial, but to guarantee it as such you need to be in control of the production pipeline and understand what those thresholds are. We agree. Must have read the same research papers. :-) But that doesn't contradict the health benefits of the flavanols within the raw cocoa bean. So, again, it seems to me that you aren't disputing the health benefits of raw cocoa, but that getting those benefits safely and consistently is difficult. In fact, in your opinion, impossible. I would take that as an argument for the Cocoa Via product. Would that be your stance? What about making a beverage using boiled water as the Kuna do, in order to kill any biological contaminants? The processing company Big Tree in Bali seems to manage their process from harvest to product in a consistent and sanitary manner. Unfortunately, they do ferment their beans. What is your opinion of that process, and its product?
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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 12, 2015 12:52:17 GMT -5
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Post by Sebastian on Mar 12, 2015 19:56:18 GMT -5
Sorry mate, i'll freely admit i've not read whatever is posted above as i simply don't have the time. Cocoa Via's a great product, and microbiologically safe. Boiling water can also be a great way of sterilization given the time is sufficiently long. The kuna have a hundred other lifestyle differences than most readers here as well, so i'd encourage you not to too narrowly focus on one aspect of their lifestyle. I would argue that Big Tree is more marketing than substance. I can not iterate enough that there is no current validated microbiologically safe method for consumption of raw cocoa. None. There's a ton of background info here at this board and The Chocolate Life should you want additional background on it. Don't mean to sound terse, however it's my experience that every few months someone comes in asking the raw question with a religious fervor, loaded with tons of misinformation, and influenced by opinion based advocates. 90% of them tend to get really bent out of shape with actual data that contradicts their pre-existing view on the topic. I'm not saying that's you by any stretch, only that my tolerance for entering into long discussion on the topic is, effectively, nonexistent at this point, and while i'll reiterate in short bursts that which i've already expounded on at length, if folks disagree with that perspective, they're certainly free to go out and discover what awaits them on their own
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Post by cocoahealth on Mar 13, 2015 15:47:55 GMT -5
Thanks. As an expert, your time is valuable, and I appreciate that you took the time to give as much response as you have. And you gave me what I was asking for - a source for raw cocoa powder; none. Resolution, closure.
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Post by chrisgg on Jul 26, 2018 10:47:03 GMT -5
I have bought some so-called raw cocoa powder from Sevenhills Wholefoods, Egham, Surrey, UK, TW20 8RX: http://www.sevenhillswholefoods.com It's the Criolla variety from Peru and is fermented but not roasted. The temperature doesn't go above 45°C which would be around the fermentation temperature.
Lavado cocoa powder from Mexico is traditionally unfermented but is roasted and should be available in Mexico somewhere. From what I have read, the fermentation stage is where most epicatechins are lost. I haven't been able to source unfermented, unroasted cocoa powder yet.
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Post by smarba on Mar 20, 2019 11:59:55 GMT -5
In the inexplicable absence of any commercially available lavado cocoa in the USA, HERSHEY’S NATURAL UNSWEETENED 100% CACAO which is non-alkalized seems the next best alternative for those at high risk for Alzheimer’s dementia. Why the Mt. Sinai group has not proceeded with its lavado research is a puzzle to me, not least because its work has been supported by THE HERSHEY COMPANY.
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Post by Ben on Mar 20, 2019 14:36:16 GMT -5
Is there some reason why Hershey's would be better than other non-alkalized cocoa powders?
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Post by smarba on Mar 21, 2019 11:21:16 GMT -5
$0.40/oz, available in stores everywhere, delicious, my favorite since childhood.
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Post by Ben on Mar 21, 2019 13:03:08 GMT -5
From your original comment, I thought you were suggesting that it was better for Alzheimer's than other non-alkalized cocoa powders. I have no insight into the benefits of cocoa powder for those at risk for Alzheimer's, but I'd suggest that there are probably much better tasting and higher quality cocoa powders out there.
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Post by smarba on Mar 25, 2019 13:12:42 GMT -5
And the evidence for “better tasting” and “higher quality” is?
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