Research has shown that dark chocol

Research has shown that dark chocolate can be good for the heart and more. Now scientists report evidence that chocolate might not be acting alone. In some cases, it may get help from bacteria hanging out in your gut. Those bacteria can break down certain compounds in the chocolate. And it’s those smaller molecules that can relax blood vessels to help the heart, a Louisiana team reported March 19 at the American Chemical Society meeting in Dallas, Texas.

Chocolate’s health claims are not new. Back in the 1500s, explorers venturing to the New World saw natives downing unsweetened dark-cocoa drinks to relieve everything from fevers to kidney problems. If that sounds crazy, consider this: Fairly recently scientists have discovered that some chemicals in chocolate can fight skin cancer. Others protect our teeth. And a host of studies have proposed that chocolate can benefit the heart.

In those heart studies, a group of specific compounds called flavanols appeared responsible. Not surprisingly, some dark chocolates contain these compounds. (To be clear, the good stuff comes from the cocoa beans — chocolate’s key ingredient — not the butter or sugar in chocolate candy. Those ingredients can clog arteries or feed bacteria that rot your teeth.)

The flavanol findings really puzzled chemists. Some noted that cocoa doesn’t appear to have enough of the beneficial compounds to help the heart. Many cocoa chemicals glom together. This creates super-structures, known as polymers. And polymers make up about 90 percent of the chemicals in cocoa powder. These biggies can’t help if they don’t get into the blood. But they are too large to pass out of the gut’s wall and into the bloodstream. Many scientists therefore suspected that cocoa chemicals must just stay in the digestive tract until they got excreted as waste.

But such scientists had failed to account for the activity of bacteria in our gut. Some of these bacteria may come from mom, at birth. Others hitchhike into the gut along with foods and beverages. Indeed, yogurt can deliver some especially beneficial ones.

Studying good ‘bugs’
People tend to think of germs — bacteria and other microbes — as bad. But many of the bacteria that move into the human gut actually offer a host of benefits. There are some that help break down foods, releasing nutrients. Others fight disease-causing germs that might taint foods. Still more manufacture vitamins from the foods we eat, keep the immune system healthy or neutralize poisons produced by disease-causing germs. By adulthood, the body hosts 10 times as many bacterial hitchhikers (many of them health-promoting) as they do actual human cells.

Could these beneficial gut bugs chew up the non-digestible cocoa polymers into smaller, healthy bits? A research team led by John Finley and Maria Moore set out to explore that possibility. Finley is a food scientist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Moore is a college student who works in his lab.

They developed an artificial digestive tract — a series of test tubes in which reactions can take place. These mimic what happens as the gut breaks down food. The researchers added the cocoa powder used to make dark chocolate along with stomach and pancreatic enzymes — chemicals that speed up chemical reactions during digestion. (They didn’t use dark-chocolate candy because its fat and sugar could have interfered with the reactions and altered the results.)

After letting these materials interact, the scientists washed the sample. That left behind a lot of undigested material. That’s what the scientists would work with. And this is where their experiment turned a bit, well, nasty.

After food passes through the stomach and small intestine, it enters the large intestine. This organ is loaded with bacteria. They convert any of food’s sugars or starches into acids, gases and alcohol. They do it through a process called fermentation. (Fermentation also gives rise to wine, beer and yogurt.)

But to trigger that fermentation, the researchers needed samples of the bacteria present in the human gut. Since they couldn’t reach in and scoop some out, they did the next best thing: They scavenged some that had been excreted in the researchers’ own stool (in other words, they pooped into a pot and saved it). Pee-ew!

“It was stinky,” Moore told Science News for Students. “But that’s why we keep air freshener in the lab.”

Fighting inflammation
The team fermented the undigested cocoa material by mixing it with these stool bacteria. And those microbes released a host of compounds. Among them were some of the same ones that blocked the inflammation of cardiovascular cells (those from the heart or blood vessels) in experiments that Finley’s lab had done earlier. Finley reported his team’s findings earlier this week.

Inflammation normally helps the body fight infections. But sometimes it goes into overdrive, quite inappropriately. This can happen, for instance, when people develop heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer’s. All are disorders that commonly afflict older people. Small cocoa-based chemicals that relieve or delay inflammation might help people manage the ravages of these diseases.

“The results are exciting,” says Luke Howard. A food scientist at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, he did not work on the new cocoa study. However, he adds, “there are limitations when you use a model system,” as the researchers did here. Health-promoting chemicals formed during fermentation would go through the gut wall, then into the blood. During that process, the chemicals can change somewhat. The model digestive tract that Finley’s team used lacked that last moving-through-the-gut-wall step.

Finley’s team hopes to get around this problem. It’s already planning to do a small trial in people. Each day, participants would consume about 50 grams of cocoa powder. It’s an amount comparable to what would go into three or four cups of dark hot chocolate. Researchers would later collect blood and stool samples to check for proteins that might signal a drop in inflammation.

Earlier this week, scientists in Boston announced plans for a similar study. Theirs won’t be such a sweet deal for participants, however. Rather than sipping cocoa or nibbling bonbons, they’ll get cocoa’s key nutrients in the form of a pill.

Finley thinks foods are better than pills. He mixes a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder into his oatmeal each morning. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was good for me,” he told Science News for Students.

Power Words
Alzheimer’s disease An incurable brain disease that can cause confusion, mood changes and problems with memory, language, behavior and problem solving. No cause or cure is known.

cardiovascular An adjective that refers to things that affect or are part of the heart and the system of vessels and arteries that move blood through the heart and tissues of the body.

circulation (in biology) A term that refers to the pumping of blood through the arteries, and smaller types of vessels (and from there into other organs and tissues).

cocoa A powder derived from the solids (not the fats) in beans that grow on the Theobroma cacao plant, also known as the cocoa tree. Cocoa is also the name of a hot beverage made from cocoa powder (and sometimes other materials) mixed with water or milk.

diabetes A disease where the body either makes too little of the hormone insulin (known as type 1 disease) or ignores the presence of too much insulin when it is present (known as type 2 diabetes).

enzymes Molecules made by living things to speed up chemical reactions.

fermentation A process that releases energy as microbes feast on materials, breaking them down. One common byproduct: alcohol and short-chain fatty acids. Fermentation is a process used to liberate nutrients from food in the human gut. It also is an underlying process used to make alcoholic beverages, from wine and beer to stronger spirits.

flavanol A group of plant-derived compounds. Some of these are antioxidants, meaning they can fight cellular damage from oxidation — often resulting in heart-healthy benefits. Among the best known of these antioxidant flavanols is epicatechin, found in some teas and cocoa-based products.

germ Any one-celled microorganism, such as a bacterium, fungal species or virus particle. Some germs cause disease. Others can promote the health of higher-order organisms, including birds and mammals. The health effects of most germs, however, remain unknown.

inflammation The body’s response to cellular injury and obesity; it often involves swelling, redness, heat and pain. It is also an underlying feature responsible for the development and aggravation of many diseases, especially heart disease and diabetes.

microbe (short for microorganism) A living thing that is too small to see with the unaided eye, including bacteria, some fungi and many other organisms such as amoebas. Most consist of a single cell.

molecule An electrically neutral group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in the air is made of two oxygen atoms (O2), but water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O).

nutrients Vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and proteins needed by organisms to live, and which are extracted through the diet.

polymer Substances whose molecules are made of long chains of repeating groups of atoms. Manufactured polymers include nylon, polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC) and many types of plastics. Natural polymers include rubber, silk and cellulose (found in plants and used to make paper, for example).

vitamin Any of a group of chemicals that are essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be made by the body.

ผลลัพธ์ (อังกฤษ) 2:

Research has shown that dark chocolate can be good for the heart and more. Now scientists report evidence that chocolate might not be acting alone. In some cases, it may get help from bacteria hanging out in your gut. Those bacteria can break down certain compounds in the chocolate. And it's those smaller molecules that Can Relax Blood vessels to Help the Heart, a Louisiana Team reported at the American Chemical Society Meeting March 19 in Dallas, Texas. Chocolate's New Health Claims are not. Back in the 1500s, explorers venturing to the New World saw natives downing unsweetened dark-cocoa drinks to relieve everything from fevers to kidney problems. If that sounds crazy, consider this: Fairly recently scientists have discovered that some chemicals in chocolate can fight skin cancer. Others protect our teeth. And a Host of Studies that have Proposed Chocolate Can Benefit the Heart. In those Heart Studies, a Group of specific compounds responsible Called flavanols appeared. Not surprisingly, some dark chocolates contain these compounds. (To be Clear, comes from the cocoa beans the good Stuff - Chocolate's Key ingredient - not the Sugar Butter or Chocolate Candy in. Those Ingredients Can clog arteries or bacteria that feed your Teeth Rot.) The flavanol findings Really Puzzled chemists. Some noted that cocoa does not appear to have enough of the beneficial compounds to help the heart. Many cocoa chemicals glom together. This creates super-structures, known as polymers. And polymers make up about 90 percent of the chemicals in cocoa powder. These biggies can not help if they do not get into the blood. But they are too large to pass out of the gut's wall and into the bloodstream. Therefore many scientists suspected that cocoa in the Digestive Tract Stay chemicals must just until they got excreted as waste. But such scientists had failed to Account for the Activity of bacteria in our Gut. Some of these bacteria may come from mom, at birth. Others hitchhike into the gut along with foods and beverages. Indeed, especially beneficial Some Ones Yogurt Can deliver. Studying good 'Bugs' People tend to Think of germs - bacteria and Other microbes - as Bad. But many of the bacteria that move into the human gut actually offer a host of benefits. There are some that help break down foods, releasing nutrients. Others fight disease-causing germs that might taint foods. Still more manufacture vitamins from the foods we eat, keep the immune system healthy or neutralize poisons produced by disease-causing germs. By adulthood, 10 times as many bacterial Hosts the Body hitchhikers (Health-promoting many of them) as they do Actual Human cells. Could these beneficial Gut Bugs Chew up the non-digestible cocoa Polymers Into smaller, Healthy BITS? A research team led by John Finley and Maria Moore set out to explore that possibility. Finley is a food scientist at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Moore is a College student Who Works in his Lab. They developed an artificial Digestive Tract - a Series of Test Tubes in which reactions Can take Place. These mimic what happens as the gut breaks down food. The researchers added the cocoa powder used to make dark chocolate along with stomach and pancreatic enzymes - chemicals that speed up chemical reactions during digestion. (They did not use Dark-Chocolate Candy because its FAT and Sugar could have interfered with the reactions and Altered the results.) After Letting these Materials INTERACT, the scientists washed the sample. That left behind a lot of undigested material. That's what the scientists would work with. And this is where their experiment turned a bit, well, nasty. After Food passes Through the stomach and intestine Small, it enters the Large intestine. This organ is loaded with bacteria. They convert any of food's sugars or starches into acids, gases and alcohol. They do it through a process called fermentation. (Fermentation also gives rise to Wine, Beer and Yogurt.) But to Trigger that fermentation, the researchers needed samples of the bacteria present in the Human Gut. Since they could not reach in and scoop some out, they did the next best thing: They scavenged some that had been excreted in the researchers' own stool (in other words, they pooped into a pot and saved it). Pee-EW! "It was stinky," Moore told Science News for Students. "But that's why we Keep Air freshener in the Lab." Fighting inflammation The Team Fermented cocoa Undigested the Material by mixing it with these bacteria stool. And those microbes released a host of compounds. Among them were some of the same ones that blocked the inflammation of cardiovascular cells (those from the heart or blood vessels) in experiments that Finley's lab had done earlier. Finley reported his findings earlier this Week's Team. Inflammation normally helps the Body Fight infections. But sometimes it goes into overdrive, quite inappropriately. This can happen, for instance, when people develop heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer's. All are disorders that commonly afflict older people. Small cocoa-based chemicals that relieve inflammation or Delay Might Help Manage people the ravages of these diseases. "The results are Exciting," says Luke Howard. A food scientist at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, he did not work on the new cocoa study. However, he adds, "there are limitations when you use a model system," as the researchers did here. Health-promoting chemicals formed during fermentation would go through the gut wall, then into the blood. During that process, the chemicals can change somewhat. Digestive Tract that the Model used Finley's Team Moving lacked that last-Through-the-Wall Gut-Step. Finley's Team hopes to Get Around this Problem. It's already planning to do a small trial in people. Each day, participants would consume about 50 grams of cocoa powder. It's an amount comparable to what would go into three or four cups of dark hot chocolate. Researchers would later collect stool samples and Blood Proteins that Might Signal to Check for a Drop in inflammation. Earlier this Week, scientists in Boston announced plans for a similar Study. Theirs will not be such a sweet deal for participants, however. Rather than sipping cocoa or nibbling bonbons, they'll Get cocoa's Key nutrients in the form of a Pill. Finley thinks Foods are better than pills. He mixes a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder into his oatmeal each morning. "I would not do it if I did not Think it was good for Me," He told Science News for Students. Power Words Alzheimer's disease An incurable disease that Can Cause Brain confusion, and Mood changes Problems with memory, language, behavior. and problem solving. No Cause or Cure is Known. cardiovascular An Adjective that refers to Things that affect or are Part of the Heart and the System of vessels and arteries that Move Blood Through the Heart and tissues of the Body. circulation (in Biology) A term that refers. to the Pumping of Blood Through the arteries, and smaller types of vessels (and from there Into Other organs and tissues). cocoa A Powder derived from the solids (not the fats) in beans that Grow on the Theobroma Cacao Plant, also Known as. the cocoa tree. Cocoa is also the name of a hot beverage Made from cocoa Powder (and sometimes Other Materials) mixed with Water or Milk. Diabetes A disease where the Body either Makes Too Little of the Hormone insulin (Known as Type 1 disease) or ignores the Presence. Too much of it is present when insulin (Type 2 Diabetes Known as). Molecules Made by Living Things enzymes to speed up Chemical reactions. fermentation A Process as microbes feast on that releases Energy Materials, Breaking them down. One common byproduct: alcohol and short-chain fatty acids. Fermentation is a process used to liberate nutrients from food in the human gut. It is also used to Make an underlying Alcoholic Beverages Process, from Beer Wine and Spirits to Stronger. flavanol A Group of Plant-derived compounds. Some of these are antioxidants, meaning they can fight cellular damage from oxidation - often resulting in heart-healthy benefits. Known among the Best of these antioxidant flavanols epicatechin is, teas and cocoa-based Found in Some Products. Any one-celled germ Microorganism, such as a bacterium, fungal species or Virus particle. Some germs cause disease. Others can promote the health of higher-order organisms, including birds and mammals. Health effects Most of the germs, however, remain Unknown. The Body's response to inflammation Cellular injury and obesity; Often involves swelling, redness, heat and pain. It is also an underlying Feature responsible for the Development and aggravation of many diseases, especially Heart disease and Diabetes. microbe (short for Microorganism) A Living Thing that is Too Small to See with the unaided Eye, including bacteria, Some fungi and many Other. organisms such as amoebas. Most consist of a single Cell. molecule An electrically Neutral Group of atoms that represents the amount of a possible Smallest Chemical Compound. Molecules can be made ​​of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the Oxygen in the Air is Made of Two Oxygen atoms (O2), but Water is Made of Two hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen Atom (H2O). nutrients Vitamins, MINERALS, fats, carbohydrates and Proteins needed by organisms to Live,. Through the diet and which are extracted. Polymer Substances whose molecules are long chains of repeating Made of groups of atoms. Manufactured polymers include nylon, polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC) and many types of plastics. Natural Polymers include Rubber, Silk and cellulose (Found in Plants and used to Make Paper, for example). Vitamin Any of a Group of chemicals that are Essential for Normal growth and Nutrition and are required in Small quantities in the diet because they Can not be. made by the body.

ผลลัพธ์ (อังกฤษ) 3:

Research has shown that dark chocolate can be good for the heart and more. Now scientists report evidence that chocolate. Might not be acting alone. In some cases it may, get help from bacteria hanging out in your gut. Those bacteria can break. Down certain compounds in the chocolate. And it 's those smaller molecules that can relax blood vessels to help, the heartA Louisiana team reported March 19 at the American Chemical Society meeting, in Dallas Texas.

Chocolate s health claims. ' Are not new. Back in the 1500s explorers venturing, to the New World saw natives downing unsweetened dark-cocoa drinks to. Relieve everything from fevers to kidney problems. If that, sounds crazy consider this:Fairly recently scientists have discovered that some chemicals in chocolate can fight skin cancer. Others protect our, teeth. And a host of studies have proposed that chocolate can benefit the heart.

In those heart studies a group, of specific compounds. Called flavanols appeared responsible. Not surprisingly some dark, chocolates contain these compounds. (To, be clearThe good stuff comes from the cocoa beans - Chocolate 's key ingredient - not the butter or sugar in chocolate candy. Those. Ingredients can clog arteries or feed bacteria that rot your teeth.)

The flavanol findings really puzzled chemists. Some. Noted that cocoa doesn 't appear to have enough of the beneficial compounds to help the heart. Many cocoa chemicals glom. Together.This creates super-structures known as, polymers. And polymers make up about 90 percent of the chemicals in cocoa, powder. These biggies can 't help if they don' t get into the blood. But they are too large to pass out of the gut s wall and into. ' The bloodstream. Many scientists therefore suspected that cocoa chemicals must just stay in the digestive tract until they. Got excreted as waste.

.But such scientists had failed to account for the activity of bacteria in our gut. Some of these bacteria may come from. Mom at, birth. Others hitchhike into the gut along with foods and beverages. Indeed yogurt can, deliver some especially. Beneficial ones.

Studying good 'bugs'
People tend to think of germs - bacteria and other microbes - as bad.But many of the bacteria that move into the human gut actually offer a host of benefits. There are some that help break. Down, foods releasing nutrients. Others fight disease-causing germs that might taint foods. Still more manufacture vitamins. From the foods we eat keep the, immune system healthy or neutralize poisons produced by disease-causing germs, By adulthood.The body hosts 10 times as many bacterial hitchhikers (many of them health-promoting) as they do actual human cells.

Could. These beneficial gut bugs chew up the non-digestible cocoa polymers, into smaller healthy bits? A research team led by John. Finley and Maria Moore set out to explore that possibility. Finley is a food scientist at Louisiana State University in. Baton Rouge.Moore is a college student who works in his lab.

They developed an artificial digestive tract - a series of test tubes. In which reactions can take place. These mimic what happens as the gut breaks down food. The researchers added the cocoa. Powder used to make dark chocolate along with stomach and pancreatic enzymes - chemicals that speed up chemical reactions. During digestion.(They didn 't use dark-chocolate candy because its fat and sugar could have interfered with the reactions and altered the. Results.)

After letting these materials interact the scientists, washed the sample. That left behind a lot of undigested. Material. That 's what the scientists would work with. And this is where their experiment turned a,, bit well nasty.

.After food passes through the stomach and small intestine it enters, the large intestine. This organ is loaded with, bacteria. They convert any of food 's sugars or starches, into acids gases and alcohol. They do it through a process called, fermentation. (Fermentation also gives rise, to wine beer and yogurt.)

But to trigger, that fermentationThe researchers needed samples of the bacteria present in the human gut. Since they couldn 't reach in and scoop, some out. They did the next best thing: They scavenged some that had been excreted in the researchers' own stool (in, other words. They pooped into a pot and saved it). Pee-ew!

"It was stinky," Moore told Science News for Students."But that 's why we keep air freshener in the lab." inflammation


Fighting The team fermented the undigested cocoa material. By mixing it with these stool bacteria. And those microbes released a host of compounds. Among them were some of the same. Ones that blocked the inflammation of cardiovascular cells (those from the heart or blood vessels) in experiments that Finley s. ' Lab had done earlier.Finley reported his team 's findings earlier this week.

Inflammation normally helps the body fight infections. But sometimes. It goes, into overdrive quite inappropriately. This, can happen for instance when people, develop, heart disease diabetes. Or Alzheimer 's. All are disorders that commonly afflict older people.Small cocoa-based chemicals that relieve or delay inflammation might help people manage the ravages of these diseases.

The. " Results are exciting, "says Luke Howard. A food scientist at the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville he did not work. On the new cocoa study. However he, adds, "there are limitations when you use a model system," as the researchers did here.Health-promoting chemicals formed during fermentation would go through the, gut wall then into the blood. During, that process. The chemicals can change somewhat. The model digestive tract that Finley 's team used lacked that last moving-through-the-gut-wall. Step.

Finley 's team hopes to get around this problem. It' s already planning to do a small trial in people, Each day.Participants would consume about 50 grams of cocoa powder. It 's an amount comparable to what would go into three or four. Cups of dark hot chocolate. Researchers would later collect blood and stool samples to check for proteins that might signal. A drop in inflammation.

Earlier this week scientists in, Boston announced plans for a similar study.Theirs won 't be such a sweet deal, for participants however. Rather than sipping cocoa or nibbling bonbons they', ll get. Cocoa 's key nutrients in the form of a pill.

Finley thinks foods are better than pills. He mixes a heaping tablespoon of. Cocoa powder into his oatmeal each morning. "I wouldn 't do it if I didn' t think it was good for me," he told Science News. For Students Power Words.


.Alzheimer 's disease An incurable brain disease that can, cause confusion mood changes and problems with memory language,,, Behavior and problem solving. No cause or cure is known.

cardiovascular An adjective that refers to things that affect. Or are part of the heart and the system of vessels and arteries that move blood through the heart and tissues of the body.

.Circulation (in Biology) A term that refers to the pumping of blood through the arteries and smaller, types of vessels. (and from there into other organs and tissues).

cocoa A powder derived from the solids (not the fats) in beans that grow. On the Theobroma cacao plant also known, as the cocoa tree.Cocoa is also the name of a hot beverage made from cocoa powder (and sometimes other materials) mixed with water or milk.

diabetes. A disease where the body either makes too little of the hormone insulin (known as type 1 disease) or ignores the presence. Of too much insulin when it is present (known as type 2 diabetes).

enzymes Molecules made by living things to speed up. Chemical reactions.

.Fermentation A process that releases energy as microbes feast on materials breaking them, down. One common byproduct: alcohol. And short-chain fatty acids. Fermentation is a process used to liberate nutrients from food in the human gut. It also is. An underlying process used to make, alcoholic beverages from wine and beer to stronger spirits.

flavanol A group of plant-derived. Compounds.Some of these, are antioxidants meaning they can fight cellular damage from oxidation - often resulting in heart-healthy. Benefits. Among the best known of these antioxidant flavanols, is epicatechin found in some teas and cocoa-based products.

germ. Any, one-celled microorganism such as a bacterium fungal species, or virus particle. Some germs cause disease.Others can promote the health of higher-order organisms including birds, and mammals. The health effects of, most germs. However remain, unknown.

inflammation The body 's response to cellular injury and obesity; it often involves swelling redness,,, Heat and pain. It is also an underlying feature responsible for the development and aggravation of, many diseasesEspecially heart disease and diabetes.

microbe (short for microorganism) A living thing that is too small to see with. The unaided, bacteria eye including, fungi some and many other organisms such as amoebas. Most consist of a single cell.

molecule. An electrically neutral group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound.Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example the oxygen, in the air is made of two. Oxygen atoms (O2), but water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O).

nutrients Vitamins minerals fats,,,, Carbohydrates and proteins needed by organisms, to live and which are extracted through the diet.

.Polymer Substances whose molecules are made of long chains of repeating groups of atoms. Manufactured polymers include. Nylon polyvinyl, chloride (better known as PVC) and many types of plastics. Natural polymers, include rubber silk and cellulose. (found in plants and used to, make paper for example).

.Vitamin Any of a group of chemicals that are essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities. In the diet because they cannot be made by the body.
.