Abstract
Cocoa and its products are rich sources of polyphenols such as flavanols. These compounds exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, accountable for cocoa health-promoting effects. However, cocoa polyphenols are poorly absorbed in the intestine, and most of them cannot reach the systemic circulation in their natural forms. Instead, their secondary bioactive metabolites are bioavailable, enter the circulation, reach the target organs, and exhibit their activities. In fact, once reaching the intestine, cocoa polyphenols interact bidirectionally with the gut microbiota. These compounds can modulate the composition of the gut microbiota exerting prebiotic mechanisms. They enhance the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, while reducing the number of pathogenic ones, such as Clostridium perfringens. On the other hand, bioactive cocoa metabolites can enhance gut health, displaying anti-inflammatory activities, positively affecting immunity, and reducing the risk of various diseases. This review aims to summarize the available knowledge of the bidirectional interaction between cocoa polyphenols and gut microbiota with their various health outcomes.
Highlights
Cocoa and its derivatives are abundantly consumed worldwide due to their pleasant taste and numerous functional effects
The aforementioned effects of cocoa flavanols were reported by Tzounis et al, in which a four-week consumption of flavonol-enriched cocoa drinks significantly enhanced the growth of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus groups but decreased the number of pathogenic bacteria, for example, Clostridium histolyticum
The polyphenolic profile varies between different cocoa cultivars, growing conditions, geographic areas, and processing steps
Summary
Cocoa and its derivatives are abundantly consumed worldwide due to their pleasant taste and numerous functional effects. Cocoa flavanols exert neuroprotective properties and improve cognition, as they can cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) into the brain [11] Their neuroprotective actions can be direct by enhancing MAPK, ERK, PI3 signaling pathways related to an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, which promotes neurogenesis and the growth of synaptic connection and neuronal viability. Cocoa polyphenols appear to modulate microbial diversity by promoting the proliferation of some bacteria and inhibiting the potentially pathogenic ones, exerting prebiotic mechanisms [20,21,22] Deciphering this bidirectional interaction allows us to understand the mechanism of action of cocoa polyphenols and to customize its dosages and type for human health. This review aims to summarize and examine the metabolism and bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols and their bidirectional interactions with gut microbiota, focusing on cocoa’s prebiotic properties, from the available experimental and clinical studies
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