Norman Hollenberg, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, found that the Kuna Indians of Panama are heavy consumers of cocoa on a daily basis and experience unusually-low rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Ian Macdonald, PhD, from the University of Nottingham Medical School, also discovered interesting results. He found that the consumption of a specially-formulated flavanol-rich cocoa beverage provided by Mars may result in regional changes in blood flow in study participants. This means that cocoa flavanols may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular impairments within the brain itself.
"Our study showed that acute consumption of this particular flavanol-rich cocoa beverage was associated with increased blood flow to grey matter for two to three hours," Macdonald explains. "This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in increasing brain-blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they may be cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation."
(1 September 2008) The consumption of health food continues to grow in Southeast Asia as more become aware that what they eat affects their health in the long run. Aiding to this growth is the stead...
(1 September 2008) Synergy Production Laboratories (SPL) has introduced an organic green superfood blend with 29 premium certified organic, whole-food ingredients(e.g.vegetables, berries, algae, gra...
(1 September 2008) Givaudan Flavours has launched a range of lemon oil replacement ingredients. Part of the company’s SUNthesis engineered citrus ingredients collection, the range has been designed ...
(1 September 2008) Recent Study on Prolibra Weight Management Solution A human clinical trial has shown that Prolibra, a weight management solution from Glanbia Nutritionals, considerably reduces pos...
(1 September 2008) Consumers are choosing premium and indulgent confectionery products as manufacturers offer healthful products. Manufacturers are working to ensure that their confectionery products...
(1 September 2008) Novel active ingredients in personal care products are becoming the main driving force behind developments in the market. Active ingredients with anti-ageing and antiwrinkling fun...
(1 September 2008) Danisco Sugar has inaugurated a new plant for the production of bioethanol based on sugar beet. The plant, which is located adjacent to Danisco Sugar’s sugar factory in Anklam in G...
(1 September 2008) Competition has generated a need for cost-effective ingredients that can mimic the texture of meat or replace expensive binders such as soy protein isolate, modified food starches...
Germany's METRO Group is making plans to open its first Metro Cash & Carry wholesale store in Kazakhstan in the summer of 2009. The Group officially agreed to the investment with the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Wednesday, a move which will extend METRO's activities to 33 countries.
Trent Ltd, the retail arm of the Tata group in India, is likely to invest around Rs 20billion ( €0.3 billion ) over the next five years in the roll out of 50 Star Bazaar hypermarket stores, according to Indian press reports.
The recent credit crunch has led all the major supermarket chains in the UK to increase promotions of cheap, unhealthy food, according to the country's National Consuner Council (NCC).
Auchan has published half year results for the first time as a result of new European regulations governing transparency. Although there has been a slow-down in mature markets, emerging markets remained buoyant for the French company and as a result sales for the first six months of 2008 were 9.4% higher than in 2007 reaching EUR18.7 billion.
Price promotions and the decision to only partially pass on food price inflation to customers have led to a downturn in second quarter margins for Ahold. Net sales for second quarter 2008 were EUR 5.8 billion, down 0.8% from the same period last year. At constant exchange rates, net sales increased by 7.3%.
Despite the credit crunch, drinks giant, Diageo reports another year of strong organic growth with net sales up 7% and operating profit up 9%. Sales rose to £8.09bn up from £7.48bn last year while sales volumes increased by about 3%.
