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Cocoa and the Immune System and Proliferative Disorders

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Dietary Components and Immune Function

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Key Points

Cocoa is an important source of antioxidant flavonoids such as epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins. Cocoa flavonoids affect innate and acquired immunity and proliferative disorders. In vitro experiments on innate immunity have focused on the secretion of inflammatory mediators, and the results are controversial. In vivo studies have demonstrated that cocoa flavonoid administration can ameliorate several models of inflammation. Intake of a cocoa diet by rats reduces the proportion of Th cells and increases that of B cells. These immunoregulatory actions may be beneficial in reducing certain states of autoimmunity and hypersensitivity. Many in vitro studies and some pre-clinical evidence have shown that cocoa flavonoids exert biological activities related to antitumoral effects. Although data suggest some negative associations between a flavonoid-rich diet and cancer, significant relationships are not always found. Further preclinical and clinical trials are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in cocoa actions and to justify cocoa’s usage as a therapy for the prevention and treatment of immune-mediated diseases and cancer.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (AGL2005-02823 and AGL2008-02790) and the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR2009118).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy Department of Physiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Francisco J. Pérez-Cano PHD (Reader), Àngels Franch PHD (Tenured Lecturer) & Cristina Castellote PHD (Professor)

  2. Dept. Fisiologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona, 08028, Spain

    Margarida Castell

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  1. Francisco J. Pérez-Cano PHD
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  2. Àngels Franch PHD
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  3. Cristina Castellote PHD
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  4. Margarida Castell
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Correspondence to Francisco J. Pérez-Cano PHD .

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  1. Health Sciences Center, Department of Health Promotion Sciences, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave. 1295, Tucson, 85724-5155, USA

    Ronald Ross Watson

  2. Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of, Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85724-5163, USA

    Sherma Zibadi

  3. Dept. Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College, Stamford St. 150, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

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Pérez-Cano, F.J., Franch, À., Castellote, C., Castell, M. (2010). Cocoa and the Immune System and Proliferative Disorders. In: Watson, R., Zibadi, S., Preedy, V. (eds) Dietary Components and Immune Function. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-061-8_25

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