Wat zit er eigenlijk in de chocola?

Wat zit er in Xoçai?

De wetenschap heeft aangetoond dat de cacaoboon een unieke schat is aan anti oxidanten en andere gezonde stoffen, welke een positieve invloed hebben op onze gezondheid. De belangrijkste stoffen zijn: Catachine, epicatechine, flavonolen, flavonoïden, theobromine, tryptophanen, anandamine, phenylethylamine (PDE) en arginine.

Anti Oxidanten

Anti oxidanten zijn enorm belangrijk voor een gezonde stofwisseling in ons lichaam. Een anti oxidant is namelijk in staat zich te binden aan de zeer schadelijke vrije radicalen en deze hierdoor te neutraliseren.

Vrije radicalen zijn afvalstoffen, deze afvalstoffen ontstaan tijdens  verbrandingsprocessen in ons lichaam en zijn schadelijk omdat ze in staat zijn de cel, celwand en zelfs het DNA van de cel aan te tasten. Deze vrije radicalen worden in verband gebracht met het ontstaan van vele ziektes en het verouderingsproces van het lichaam.

ORAC, of wel Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is de (Amerikaanse) term voor de hoeveelheid anti oxidanten per eenheid product. In het westen krijgen we gemiddeld 1.500 ORAC per dag binnen. Dat lijkt veel, maar om gezond te blijven moet je minimaal 5.000 per dag consumeren en aanbevolen wordt zelfs tussen de 10.000-15.000. 1 Xoçai X Powersquare bevat maar liefst 16.488 ORACfn. Voldoende voor onze dagelijkse hoeveelheid. Dat is de zelfde hoeveelheid anti oxidanten als in 1 kilo rauwe spinazie!

anti-oxidanten en celbescherming

Cell Protector and Cancer Fighter

Cancer, in its many forms, is one of today’s top killers and most feared diseases. And while progress has been made in the treatment of many cancers, there is still much to be learned regarding this insidious killer. In recent years, scientific research has uncovered the potential of chocolate’s main constituents to fight cancer.
Cocoa helps fight against cancer in various ways. One study found that procyanidins were potent inhibitors of tyrosine kinase (ErbB2) expression, a molecule responsible for increasing blood vessels in a tumor and making the cancer grow faster. In simple words, cocoa procyanidins stop new blood vessels from forming, which in turn decreases the ability of cancer cells to grow. Numerous cancers like colon, breast, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers are controlled in part by the ErbB2 molecule. The researchers found also other receptor molecules that stimulate cancer cells were inhibited by the cocoa procyanidins.
They also found that cocoa flavanols inhibited reactive nitrogen species and formed nitrous derivatives, which inhibit cancer cell growth, especially gastrointestinal cancers.

Chocola en diabetes

Chocolate and Diabetes

Just as chocolate can help support cardiovascular health, it also promises to help in an area closely linked to cardio trouble—diabetes. There has been an explosion of diagnoses of type-2 diabetes in recent years, and it is well known that the majority of diabetes-related deaths result from cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, infarction, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
But diabetes’ effects go beyond the heart. Micro blood vessel damage is caused by elevated blood sugar (an oxidant) linking with blood vessel proteins (collagen), which ultimately causes scarring and blood vessel blockage. This damage is what causes neuropathy (pain in the nerves) and edema (water in the tissues) in extremities, which can lead to ulcerations and amputations. It also causes kidney damage (nephropathy) and even blindness (retinopathy).
The good news is that there is overwhelming support for chocolate’s diabetic-friendly benefits. In fact, a recent review of 42 studies found that the majority showed that subjects enjoyed distinct improvement in glucose and insulin balance when consuming some sort of antioxidant-rich cocoa food or beverage. The researchers stated, “We found consistent benefits of chocolate or cocoa on promising effects on insulin and insulin resistance . . .”

jouw hart, jouw gezondheid!

Chocolate and Cardiovascular Health

Probably the most well documented benefits of chocolate involve its ability to enhance the function of the heart and blood vessels. Dozens of studies confirm the ability of dark chocolate to protect the heart in a variety of ways, including fighting oxidation, inflammation, improving blood platelet function, decreasing the clotting of blood, and allowing blood vessels to relax and become more pliable, reducing blood pressure.
For instance, a team of scientists from Harvard School of Public Health reviewed 136 studies completed on the relationship of chocolate and cocoa to cardiovascular health. The review included all types of research from lab tests to human studies. The research team concluded that chocolate is a major source of flavonoids, (epicatechins, catechins, and procyanidins) and found that the principal fat in chocolate—stearic acid—did not have adverse effects on blood vessels, cholesterol levels or overall CV health because it is metabolized differently than other saturated fats.
The review confirmed the findings of many studies suggesting that regular chocolate intake has potentially beneficial effects. These include lower blood pressure, decreased inflammation in blood vessels, decreased blood clotting, increased levels of high-density lipids (the HDL or “good” cholesterol) and decreased oxidation of low-density lipids (LDL, or “bad” cholesterol), improved endothelial function (increased nitric oxide production), inhibition of leukotriene activity (which causes the constriction of blood vessels and contributes to chronic inflammation), and increased activity of prostacyclins, which help blood vessels “relax” and reduce blood platelets from forming clots.

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