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Mars, Incorporated: Groundbreaking Cocoa Science Research
Revealed at The National Academies
Thursday February 9,
7:00 am ET
New Research Presented at
'Theobroma Cacao: The Tree of Change' Elevates Cocoa's Role in Cardiovascular
Health and Sustainable Agriculture
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2006--The cocoa plant
(Theobroma cacao) holds tremendous potential to impact public health and improve
the socioeconomic and ecological landscape of the countries where it's grown,
according to leading world scientists who convened at the National Academies
today to examine the latest scientific advances in cocoa research.
Building on the first-ever cocoa science symposium held at The National Academies in
2004, today's symposium brought together a multi-disciplinary international
group of scientists from the public and private sectors to review the most
recent scientific advances related to cocoa - from its potential to improve
public health to its role in preserving the tropical ecosystems where cocoa is
grown.
"This symposium highlights the surprisingly diverse and positive role that
cocoa can potentially play in improving public health and reinvigorating
endangered tropical ecosystems," said symposium co-chair Alan Bennett, PhD,
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Plant Sciences at the
University of California, Davis. "It also highlights the impact that
collaborative efforts among public and private sector scientists from research
centers such as Harvard, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, University of
California, Davis, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Mars,
Incorporated, among others, can have in a relatively short time."
Symposium co-chair Helmut Sies, MD, Professor at Heinrich-Heine University in
Germany added, "Based on the exciting research findings presented today and
published recently in leading scientific journals, we are witnessing an
explosion of cocoa science that has the potential to change the lives of people
in terms of their health and their ability to impact the environment."
Norman Hollenberg, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School,
presented epidemiological findings that suggest flavanol-rich foods, such as
specific cocoas, could provide an unexpectedly large benefit in the management
of the two most common causes of death in today's world: cardiovascular disease
and cancer.
A long-time collaborator with Mars, Hollenberg studied two populations of
Kuna Indians. The indigenous Kuna Indians living on a chain of islands near
Panama still drink large quantities of a homemade, flavanol-rich cocoa every
day. In contrast, the Kuna Indians who migrated from the islands and live in and
around Panama City consume little cocoa, and the cocoa they do consume is
commercially processed and relatively low in flavanols.
In data obtained from death certificates, Hollenberg found that the Kuna
Indians living on the islands had significantly lower rates of heart disease and
cancer. The relative risk of death from heart disease on the Panama mainland was
1,280 percent higher than on the islands, and death from cancer was 630 percent
higher.
"Our results indicate that a flavanol-rich diet may provide an extraordinary
benefit in the reduction of the two deadliest diseases in today's world," said
Hollenberg, who has been working with the Kuna Indians for more than 10 years.
"Though preliminary, the data collected thus far are striking in terms of both
risk reduction and potential public health significance. Further research is
clearly warranted to conclusively define the relationship between consumption of
dietary flavanols and incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer in this
population, as well as others."
Previous research by Harvard's Hollenberg and scientists from UKA Aachen and
Heinrich-Heine University in Germany, the University of California, Davis and
Mars, Incorporated published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences (PNAS), January 24, 2006, found that the island-dwelling Kuna Indians
had significantly higher levels of flavanols in their bloodstream, as well as
higher levels of nitric oxide metabolites - a marker for normal blood vessel
function and healthy blood flow. In addition, this study was the first to
provide direct evidence that a specific nutrient in cocoa, the flavanol
(-)epicatechin, can help improve blood vessel relaxation, which is an important
factor in cardiovascular health.
Hagen Schroeter, PhD, faculty member at UC, Davis, and Christian Heiss, MD,
at UC, San Francisco, co-authors on the study published in PNAS, presented
additional new data at today's symposium demonstrating that the cardiovascular
benefits observed following consumption of a flavanol-rich cocoa are not merely
dependent on so-called antioxidant effects. "The concept that the benefits
derived from cocoa consumption are solely related to antioxidant properties
represent a view that is not accurate," said Schroeter. "Furthermore, most of
the flavanols present in plasma have been altered by the body following
consumption, and are known to have even less antioxidant potential than their
parent flavanols. Therefore, the specific flavanol content and composition of
cocoa, and the cardiovascular activities they exhibit beyond their antioxidant
effects, are far more interesting and important to public health researchers."
New data presented at today's meeting resulting from a research collaboration
between Mars, Incorporated and the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences further emphasizes the interesting bioactivity that
cocoa flavanols can exhibit. "Working with cocoa scientists from Mars,
Incorporated, we were able to demonstrate in model systems that certain cocoa
flavanols have the potential to inhibit biochemical pathways that can cause
inflammation, which is a process that can contribute to cardiovascular disease
and other health issues," said Dr. Dongmei Chen, one of the study's co-authors.
Analytical data presented by Mars, Incorporated - world leaders for many
years in understanding how to best measure flavanols in cocoa and other plant
foods - demonstrated that antioxidant measures commonly used by many researchers
and food manufacturers are not accurate when compared to validated primary
measures.
"Taken together, it is clear that cocoa flavanols go well beyond the general
class of nutrients called antioxidants in terms of their effect on
cardiovascular function," said Harold Schmitz, PhD, Chief Science Officer of
Mars, Incorporated and a co-author on the study. "The evidence base is such that
scientists should stop referring to cocoa flavanols as antioxidants, and should
most certainly stop estimating cocoa flavanol content using antioxidant capacity
methodologies that are inherently flawed and misleading to clinical researchers
and health professionals." Schmitz heads up the global cocoa science research
portfolio at Mars, Incorporated, which has collaborated on studies at Harvard,
Heinrich-Heine University, University of California, Davis, USDA-ARS, University
of Nottingham and many other leading research institutions around the world.
Rare for science programs in today's industrial environment, Mars has been
committed to cocoa science investments for more than 15 years, and this
investment has resulted in world-leading innovations such as a proprietary
method of processing cocoa called CocoaproŽ. This patented technology - which
helps retain the naturally occurring flavanols - is used to make unique cocoa
ingredients for DoveŽ Dark Chocolate and the new heart-healthy snack
CocoaVia(TM). Mars identified the need for this innovation because traditional
cocoa processing methods often destroy these bioactive nutrients.
Carl Keen, PhD, Chair of the Department of Nutrition at the University of
California, Davis, who has also collaborated on a number of cocoa flavanol
studies, chaired the session exploring the link between cocoa flavanols and
cardiovascular health in which Hollenberg and Schroeter, along with Joseph
Spence, PhD, USDA-ARS, presented their new findings. Keen said people often
forget that cocoa is derived from a plant, and they don't realize that cocoa
contains similar healthful nutrients found in fruit and vegetables. For example,
the flavanol (-)epicatechin - a nutrient especially abundant in certain cocoas -
is also found in certain fruit and vegetables, such as apples and grapes.
"The new insights into the bioactivity of cocoa flavanols revealed during the
symposium today add new and important pieces of information that will help us
understand why diets rich in fruit and vegetables promote cardiovascular
health," Keen said. "Nutrition experts have been telling people for years that
fruit and vegetables are good for our hearts. Now scientists are taking the next
step by identifying exactly which nutrients may be beneficial and exactly why
they are."
Using Cocoa Science to Make a Positive Difference for the Farmer
In addition to breaking research in the area of cardiovascular health,
presentations highlighted new opportunities for cocoa to provide social,
economic and environmental benefits to the millions of farmers who depend on
this unique crop for their livelihoods. Every year, many cocoa farmers lose a
third or more of this fragile crop due to pests and diseases - or simply because
of a lack of appropriate training, the use of rudimentary farming techniques, or
other challenges.
A large proportion of the world-leading cocoa science portfolio of Mars
continues to be dedicated to improving the lives of cocoa farmers and their
surrounding environments in the three main cocoa growing regions of the world -
West Africa, the Americas and Southeast Asia. For decades, Mars has been at the
forefront of unique public/private partnerships that create new ecological and
socioeconomic opportunities for the millions of farmers throughout the tropics
who depend on cocoa for their livelihood.
Partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research
Service (USDA-ARS), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and others have focused on providing
science and developing programs to promote sustainable, responsible cocoa
farming. Projects have helped to improve farmer incomes, enhance productivity
and conserve tropical forest ecosystems.
"Our science partnership with Mars has demonstrated the potential in some
exciting new technologies for crop management," said Judy St. John, Deputy
Administrator of USDA-ARS. "Together, we are working on environmentally safe
solutions to control the pest and disease problems that wreak havoc on cocoa
crops worldwide. One such solution seeks to introduce pheromones as a biological
control attractant to trap invasive pests such as the cocoa pod borer, a primary
threat to the Asian cocoa crop. Because pheromones are naturally produced, there
is a benign effect on the environment."
The symposium highlighted other successful partnerships, including a program
administered by Winrock International and supported by Mars that provides
children in the Ivory Coast access to relevant agricultural education. The
Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) - a public/private partnership supported
by USAID, Mars and other industry members - provides on-the-ground farmer
training in West African cocoa communities. The initial outcome of this pilot
program resulted in the potential to increase incomes by 20 percent. This
program is now serving as a model for industry-wide initiatives to educate
farmers in cocoa-growing countries.
"It is extraordinary and gratifying to be with a company that has made this
type of long-term commitment to science, to not only protect the environment and
human health, but also to protect the farmers' economic livelihood - the cocoa
tree. Mars is at the forefront of efforts that are truly making a difference for
cocoa farmers, their families, and their communities," said Howard-Yana Shapiro,
PhD, Director of Plant Science and External Research at Mars, Incorporated. "We
are at the very beginning of a new era in cocoa - the crop has tremendous
potential to help alleviate poverty and protect endangered tropical ecosystems."
About the Symposium
Theobroma Cacao: The Tree of Change was convened at the National Academies in
Washington, DC. The co-sponsors of the symposium include: Chinese Academy of
Sciences; Mars, Incorporated; Rabobank; Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew;
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Sustainable Tree Crops
Program/International Institute for Tropical Agriculture; Union of German
Academies of Sciences and Humanities; University of California-Davis; U.S.
Agency for International Development; U.S. Department of
Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service; USDA Forest Service International
Programs; and ICRAF, The World Agroforestry Centre.
A live audio conference from the symposium is available on Thursday, February
9, from 12:15pm - 1:15pm ET. Join the audio conference by dialing 866-850-2201
and use the confirmation code, 3619664.
Mars, Incorporated, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a privately-held
company with a strong commitment to science-based research. With well over 15
years of research into the health benefits of cocoa flavanols, and decades of
research invested into improving the cocoa plant and farming techniques, Mars,
Incorporated has become the global leader in cocoa science. For more
information, visit http://www.cocoapro.com/. For more
information about Mars cocoa sustainability program, visit http://www.cocoasustainability.mars.com/.
Theobroma Cacao: The Tree of Change
The National Academies
Washington, DC
February 9-10, 2006
Summaries of Key Presentations
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE:
-- Cocoa Flavanols, Nitric Oxide and Endothelial Function
Expert: Norman Hollenberg, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School
Study of an indigenous population off the coast of Panama have
yielded preliminary data to indicate that flavanol-rich foods
may provide an extraordinary benefit in the management of the
most common causes of death in today's world - heart disease
and cancer. The risk of death from heart disease was 1,280%
higher and for cancer, 630% higher for the population that no
longer consumed large quantities of flavanol-rich cocoa.
-- Cocoa Flavanols: Bioactive Nutrients Beyond Antioxidants?
Experts: Hagen Schroeter, PhD, University of California,
Davis; Harold Schmitz, PhD, Mars, Incorporated
This new study identifies the flavanol, (-)epicatechin, as one
of the bioactive nutrients in cocoa that can improve the
ability of blood vessels to relax. Additionally, the
cardiovascular function benefits observed following
consumption of a flavanol-rich cocoa are not likely dependent
on so-called antioxidant effects.
COCOA SUSTAINABILITY - PLANT SCIENCE:
-- Integrating Genomics into an Applied Cacao Breeding Program
Expert: Raymond Schnell, PhD, USDA-ARS
A collaboration between USDA-ARS and Mars, Incorporated
resulted in an accelerated cacao breeding program applying
modern genomic science to accelerate traditional breeding
techniques to find disease-resistant new plant material.
COCOA SUSTAINABILITY - SOCIOECONOMICS & ECOLOGY:
Expert: Howard Yana-Shapiro, PhD, Mars, Incorporated
-- Cultivating Diversity: The Role of Cacao Agroforestry Systems
in Rural Economic Growth and Conservation of Biodiversity
From a compilation of experiences, long-term research and
opportunities with cacao agroforestry systems and forest
landscape management, recommendations are made to farmers,
communities, local authorities, governments and industry which
may be employed to develop more sustainable supplies of cocoa.
-- Cocoa Farming Made More Profitable through the Sustainable
Tree Crops Program
STCP, the first of its kind public-private partnership, is
identifying technologies, approaches and mechanisms to enhance
the economic and social well-being of smallholders and the
environmental sustainability of tree crop farms. Farmer Field
Schools have been credited with bringing increased
productivity gains and increased cocoa income.
-- The African Research Infrastructure: Is There a Role for Cocoa
Research?
In West Africa, cocoa is one of the most important export
crops, and cocoa research and a sustainable production
strategy are key to helping poverty alleviation and protecting
endangered tropical ecosystems.
HISTORY OF COCOA
-- Cocoa and Chocolate during the American Revolution Era
Expert: Louis Grivetti, PhD, University of California, Davis
A rich history of chocolate consumption has been uncovered
throughout North America during the Colonial, Revolutionary
and Early American eras. Newly examined documents reveal the
importance of chocolate with many notable individuals and
groups of these periods, including those in the military for
health and medical uses.
Contact:
Weber Shandwick for Mars, Incorporated
Elizabeth Schreiber, 312-988-2324, eschreiber@webershandwick.com
Source: Mars, Incorporated
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