Flavanols: digestion,absorption and bioactivity |
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Authors: | Robert M Hackman John A Polagruto Qin Yan Zhu Buxiang Sun Hajime Fujii Carl L Keen |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Nutrition, University of California, One Shields Avenue, 3135 Meyer Hall, Davis, CA 95616, USA;(2) Amino Up Chemical Company Ltd., Sapporo, Japan;(3) Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA |
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Abstract: | Flavanols, or flavan-3-ols, are a family of bioactive compounds present in cocoa, red wine, green tea, red grapes, berries
and apples. With a basic monomer unit of (−)-epicatechin or (+)-catechin, flavanols can be present in foods and beverages
as monomers or oligomers (procyanidins). Most, but not all, procyanidins are degraded into monomer or dimer units prior to
absorption. The bioavailability of flavanols can be influenced by multiple factors, including food processing, cooking, digestion,
and biotransformation. Flavanols are potent antioxidants, scavenging free radicals in vitro and in vivo. While some of the
actions of flavanols can be linked to antioxidant activities, other modes of action may also occur, including modulation of
intracellular signaling, effects on membrane fluidity and regulation of cytokine release or action. Physiologically, flavanol-rich
foods and beverages can affect platelet aggregation, vascular inflammation, endothelial nitric oxide metabolism, and may confer
protective effects against neurodegeneration. Epidemiological data suggests that intake of cocoa, a rich source of flavanols,
is inversely associated with 15-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in older males. (−)-Epicatechin and its metabolite,
epicatechin-7-O-glucuronide, have been identified as independent predictors of some of the vascular effects associated with the consumption
of a flavanol-rich beverage. Targeted dietary components and nutrition supplements that can influence the vascular system
will be of great value in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. |
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Keywords: | Flavanols Epicatechin Procyanidin Vascular function Cardiovascular disease |
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