Dietary Cocoa Reduces Adipose Tissue Inflammation in High‐ Fat Fed Obese Mice

Abstract

In diet‐induced obesity, adipose tissue (AT) is in a chronic state of inflammation predisposing the development of insulin‐resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a polyphenol‐rich food with putative anti‐inflammatory activities; however, little research has been done to support the role of cocoa in modulating inflammation in obese subjects, and the mechanism of action remains to be fully elucidated. The objective of the present study is to determine the effects of dietary cocoa supplementation on AT inflammation in high‐fat (HF)‐fed mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a HF diet (HF group), a HF diet with 8% (w/w) unsweetened cocoa powder (HFC group), or a low‐fat diet for 18 weeks. Cocoa supplementation significantly decreased pro‐inflammatory gene expression (Il6, Il12b, Nos2 and Emr1) in the stromal vascular fraction of AT by 40–62% compared to HF group (P < 0.05). Protein expression of adipose‐specific phospholipase A2 was reduced by 53% in HFC mice (P < 0.05). Moreover, AT arachidonic acid (AA) levels were positively correlated with adiposity (r = 0.56, P < 0.01) and cocoa‐supplemented mice had 33% lower levels of AA compared to HF control (P < 0.05). These results demonstrate the anti‐inflammatory effects of cocoa in obese mice and provide mechanistic biomarkers for further investigation.Grant Funding Source: Dept. of Food Science of The Pennsylvania State University