For centuries, people have totally delighted in eating dark chocolate (made from cocoa, from the cacao tree). Not too long ago, chocolate was a “no no” for restricted diets, somewhat based on the prevailing belief that if it tastes good it’s bad for you!

Specifically, cocoa contains polyphenols called flavonoids. The flavonoids found in cocoa are flavanols known as flavan-3-ol and proanthocyanidins, among other healthy compounds like epicatechin, quercetin and glycosides. These are all specific antioxidants that work in the body in targeted ways.

According to chocolate industry expert Leah Porter, Ph.D., studies analyzing cocoa have evolved rather rapidly from the stage of identifying its active phytochemicals as described above to researching how they impact specific health conditions affecting the breast, heart, and respiratory system to name several.

It’s no surprise that in recent years, cocoa has earned exalted status because of research demonstrating health benefit. Cocoa (which chocolate is derived from) contains antioxidants known as flavonoids. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that cocoa containing 495 mg of naturally occurring polyphenols helped reduce levels of inflammatory markers that are known contributors to the development of atherosclerosis.

And eating good-quality dark chocolate AND taking a cocoa-antioxidant supplement is the best way to obtain antioxidant health benefits.

You may have wondered, “just what us a ‘superfruit?” and “what gives it its super powers?”

A “superfruit” is a fruit that is combined with rich nutrients and high antioxidant power.  Fruits naturally grow their own antioxidants as protective mechanisms for their particular climate and environment.  Those that grow in tropical locales tend to have higher concentrates of antioxidants due to natural assaults found in hot, humid ecosystems that also contain high numbers of insects and bacteria – all things the fruit needs to protect itself from.

You may have heard about noni and acai, two very popular supplements sold by retailers.  They are nutritious for supplementing, as powerful antioxidants flooding the body with natural phytochemicals that help keep you healthy!  Acai is packed with amino acids, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, as well as trace minerals and phytosterols. Noni offers you lignans, polysaccharides, beta-sitosterol and catechin, and other antioxidant compounds.

Mangosteen is often sold as a juice blend. It is uniquely abundant in xanthones, a type of strong antioxidant. Xanthones also have been shown to have other benefits such as anti-inflammatory properties. Mangosteen also has polysaccharides, sterols, catechins and proanthocyanidins, the last two being very strong antioxidants.

Pomegranate is also more widely known and consumed today for its antioxidant benefits.   Pomegranates contain ellagitannins, such as punicalagins, which are powerful antioxidant polyphenolic compounds.

It is easy to see how blending all these superfruits is wholesome for good health.  Our proprietary product, PhytoTropic™, features concentrates of all four superfruits as a powerful antioxidant ingredient.

You may have heard by now that it is a great idea to enjoy a glass – or two at most – of delicious, satisfying red wine. In fact, doing so regularly may add a little more zest to your life and keep your heart healthy.

This knowledge came from an initial study in 1992, when the term French Paradox was introduced after researchers showed in an epidemiological study that the French, despite higher incidence of smoking, less exercise and a diet relatively higher in fatty foods than Americans, have a lower incidence of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. The researchers correlated this health paradox to the French love of red wine.

French red wine grapes contain two main constituents shown to be of significant antioxidant value: polyphenols (flavonoids) and resveratrol. Animal studies of red wine polyphenols have demonstrated effects in cardioprotection, supporting healthy cholesterol levels, vision improvement and general free-radical scavenging.

Resveratrol is produced by grapes to protect against fungal infection. It has been shown in studies to exert potent cardioprotection by inhibiting LDL oxidation and reducing platelet aggregation. In a rat model study, researchers found that resveratrol had a dramatic effect against ischemia-reperfusion-induced arrhythmias. Resveratrol reduced both the incidence and duration of ventricular dysrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. What this means is that is supports healthy heart function.

A significant study, published in 2006 in the journal Nature, demonstrated that obese mice fed red wine extract (resveratrol) were in better health and lived longer than obese mice that were not fed the red wine extract. In the supplement group, deaths dropped 31%, compared to the control group. Study authors also concluded that the red wine extract group of mice lived longer than what they normally should have given their obesity.

David Sinclair, co-author of the study, told Newsweek, “At the genetic level, we saw alterations in all the known longevity pathways that we looked at. It would appear this molecule triggers our natural genetic defenses against aging. That’s probably why resveratrol is such a potent molecule. It’s no mere antioxidant.”

In addition, Sinclair said that his team saw benefits in the supplement group that are associated with healthy longevity, specifically lower insulin, body temperature and blood sugar.

References:

Rao AV, et al.  Bioabsorption and invivo antioxidant properties of the grape extract BioVin® polyphenols: a human intervention study.  Journal of Medicinal Food 200; 3:15-22.

Renaud S, et al.  Wine, alcohol, platelets and the French paradox for coronary heart disease.  The Lancet 1992; 339:1523-6.

Baur J, et al.  Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high calorie diet.  Nature.  2006; 444:337-342

For more information click on the links to see some articles about resveratrol:

Mayo Clinic: “Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?”

60 Minutes: “Fountain of Youth in A Wine Rx?”

Total Health for Longevity: “Resveratrol: Unique Nutrient for Extending Health Into Old Age”

It is not particularly attractive on the outside, but cut it open and you will be presented with a bounty of plump rubies (seeds) in a creamy bed. That is the first magic of pomegranate, now widely enjoyed in the U.S. as an exotic fruit and delicious beverage.

The seeds of the pomegranate are rich in polyphenolic antioxidants, notably ellagic acid, which has been researched heavily since the 1970s. Ellagic acid has been shown to prevent abnormal changes in the genetic material within cells, thereby helping to promote healthy cell development and life, while curtailing unhealthy, rogue cell development. In addition, ellagic acid binds to unhealthy compounds found circulating in the blood and inactivates them.

The fruit and its seeds are red, which may be nature’s way of saying, “this is good for your heart.”  Research has shown favorable attributes of pomegranate’s ability to support healthy platelet aggregation activities in blood vessels. The pomegranate juice has demonstrated to not only reduce platelet aggregation in blood vessels, but also has shown to slow down the process of cholesterol oxidation.

One study, “Pomegranate juice consumption reduces oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL and platelet aggregation: studies in humands an din atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice,” by Aviram et al, analyzed the effect of pomegranate juice consumption on lipoprotein oxidation, aggregation and retention, macrophage atherogenicity, platelet aggregation and atherosclerosis in healthy male volunteers. The researchers found that after 14 weeks of daily consumption, LDL susceptibility to aggregation and retention was decreased and the activity of serum paraoxonase increased by 20 percent; paraoxonase is an enzyme that protects against lipid peroxidation. This study shows pomegranate has value in cardiovascular support. (Am. J Clin. Nutr 2000; 71:1062-76)

If you’d like more information, please email sales@cyvex.com

Perfect for sweetening up your breakfast, black currant preserves are often spread on toast and offer a combination of sweet and sharp taste. Black currants are also used in a variety of dessert treats, sauces and dippings.  In addition, black currant is an ingredient in Guinness beer, and some beer aficionados assert that it adds a superior note to the flavor.

These robust black berries are versatile, and full of antioxidants. Black currants contain natural monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and therefore, consuming them regularly in food or dietary supplement form, may be beneficial for your health.

Black currants are rich in antioxidants, notably vitamin C as well as in the essential fatty acid gamma-linoleic acid (omega 6) and even minerals such as potassium. In fact, black currants contain twice the amount of potassium as bananas, four times the vitamin C of oranges, and twice the antioxidants of blueberries.

Besides vitamin C, key antioxidants in black currants are anthocyanins, which are carotenoids: a carotenoid is an antioxidant that also gives the fruit and vegetable its distinctive color. Anthocyanins in black currant have been rather extensively researched for several health-supporting properties. For example, they have been shown to promote healthy inflammatory response by inhibiting activity of inflammatory enzymes called cyclo-oxygenase 1 and cyclo-oxygenase 2.

Black currant juice is abundant in proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and cassis polysaccharide, which has been shown to stimulate the activity of macrophages, which are cells that engulf and digest debris and invading microorganisms, and thus help keep the body in top shape when fighting against rogue cells.

The good news is that the dietary supplement industry offers black currant supplements in tablets, capsules, or juice that make getting these daily benefits much easier than eating servings of this berry every single day.

Black currants are not well known since they were banned in the United States in the early 1900s, but since then the ban has been lifted in many states.  And there remains a strong potential for black currant applications in food, beverages, or dietary supplements in the U.S. market.

For more information about black currants, you can visit The Currant Company at www.currantc.com.

Or read an article about black currants in a NY Times article, “A Tart Berry Reintroduces Itself”.