A study finds that consuming a flavonoid in cocoa helped healthy mice delay skeletal muscle aging.
As if you needed another reason to enjoy cocoa products, a recent study by Tufts researchers found that epicatechin, a flavonoid found in cocoa, certain fruits and beans, and green tea, has protective anti-aging effects in healthy mice.
Antioxidant flavonoids have garnered attention for their anti-inflammatory effects on our cardiovascular systems and other benefits. Some researchers think they are natural anti-aging agents.
However, when put to the test in the laboratory, many of these flavonoids promote health and increase life span only in mice fed a high-fat diet or with certain disease conditions—in other words, not healthy mice. Researchers are now trying to identify which of these natural compounds may target normal aging pathways to promote healthy aging, extend life spans, and prevent the development of chronic degenerative diseases associated with age.
Chao-Qiang Lai, a molecular biologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, based at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts, and Hongwei Si, an associate professor at Tennessee State University, turned their attention to epicatechin. Abundant in cocoa, epicatechin has been credited with many of cocoa’s health benefits. Scientists think it may be the reason people living on an island off the coast of Panama, who consume beverages made from natural cocoa bean, have better health and increased life spans compared to those on the mainland.
Si previously published a study that showed epicatechin increased the survival rate of obese, diabetic mice. To see if it would do the same for healthy individuals, the researchers gave epicatechin to old, but otherwise healthy, mice. The epicatechin-treated mice lived significantly longer than untreated mice. They were more active, had fewer age-related health issues, and showed less skeletal muscle degeneration.
In fact, muscle tissue from old mice that received epicatechin looked just like muscle from young healthy controls. This is notable as progressive loss of muscle tissue and function, known as sarcopenia, occurs naturally during the aging process, and in people, can lead to a decline in general health and quality of life. “This is a stunning effect,” said Si. “You hardly see anything like that, which has a profound effect on delaying the aging of skeletal muscle tissue in old mice.”
Genes function as instructions so cells in your body know what proteins to make. A subset of proteins within your muscles is known to decrease with age, a phenomenon that is often associated with a decline in muscle function and sarcopenia. To determine what biological changes were behind the beneficial effects of epicatechin, Lai and Si looked at this phenomenon—called gene and protein expression—in skeletal muscle tissue, and metabolites in blood.
Surprisingly, they found that epicatechin treatment caused gene expression and protein levels of old mice to resemble that of young mice. Those metabolites in blood known to detrimentally decrease with age were instead protected and expressed at levels comparable to young mice, possibly leading to their improved health outcomes.
In healthy individuals, calorie restriction and exercise are known to increase life span and decrease age-associated disorders. Epicatechin treatment, without any other dietary manipulations, positively affected anti-inflammatory and muscle integrity by targeting the same biological pathways that are promoted by exercise and calorie restriction.
Lai and fellow researchers hope to follow up this work, which was published in the FASEB Journal, with human studies, to see if epicatechin can be a helpful tool in preventing sarcopenia and age-related disease in people.
Important Notice: This article was originally published at https://now.tufts.edu by Dominique Ameroso where all credits are due.
Disclaimer
The watching, interacting, and participation of any kind with anything on this page does not constitute or initiate a doctor-patient relationship with Dr. Farrah™. None of the statements here have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The products of Dr. Farrah™ are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information being provided should only be considered for education and entertainment purposes only. If you feel that anything you see or hear may be of value to you on this page or on any other medium of any kind associated with, showing, or quoting anything relating to Dr. Farrah™ in any way at any time, you are encouraged to and agree to consult with a licensed healthcare professional in your area to discuss it. If you feel that you’re having a healthcare emergency, seek medical attention immediately. The views expressed here are simply either the views and opinions of Dr. Farrah™ or others appearing and are protected under the first amendment.
Dr. Farrah™ is a highly experienced Licensed Medical Doctor certified in evidence-based clinical nutrition, not some enthusiast, formulator, or medium promoting the wild and unrestrained use of nutrition products for health issues without clinical experience and scientific evidence of therapeutic benefit. Dr. Farrah™ has personally and keenly studied everything she recommends, and more importantly, she’s closely observed the reactions and results in a clinical setting countless times over the course of her career involving the treatment of over 150,000 patients.
Dr. Farrah™ promotes evidence-based natural approaches to health, which means integrating her individual scientific and clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. By individual clinical expertise, I refer to the proficiency and judgment that individual clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice.
Dr. Farrah™ does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of any multimedia content provided. Dr. Farrah™ does not warrant the performance, effectiveness, or applicability of any sites listed, linked, or referenced to, in, or by any multimedia content.
To be clear, the multimedia content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any website, video, image, or media of any kind. Dr. Farrah™ hereby disclaims any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental, or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content, which is provided as is, and without warranties.
