Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans

Background: Cocoa drinks containing flavan-3-ols are associated with many health benefits, and conflicting evidence exists as to whether milk adversely affects the bioavailability of flavan-3-ols. Objective: The objective was to determine the effect of milk on the bioavailability of cocoa flavan-3-o...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mullen, W., Borges, G., Donovan, J., Edwards, Christine, Serafini, M., Lean, M., Crozier, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: American Society for Nutrition 2009
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18430
_version_ 1848749742966702080
author Mullen, W.
Borges, G.
Donovan, J.
Edwards, Christine
Serafini, M.
Lean, M.
Crozier, A.
author_facet Mullen, W.
Borges, G.
Donovan, J.
Edwards, Christine
Serafini, M.
Lean, M.
Crozier, A.
author_sort Mullen, W.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: Cocoa drinks containing flavan-3-ols are associated with many health benefits, and conflicting evidence exists as to whether milk adversely affects the bioavailability of flavan-3-ols. Objective: The objective was to determine the effect of milk on the bioavailability of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites. Design: Nine human volunteers followed a low-flavonoid diet for 2 d before drinking 250 mL of a cocoa beverage, made with water or milk, that contained 45 µmol (-)-epicatechin and (-)-catechin. Plasma and urine samples were collected for 24 h, and flavan-3-ol metabolites were analyzed by HPLC with photodiode array and mass spectrometric detection. Results: Milk affected neither gastric emptying nor the transit time through the small intestine. Two flavan-3-ol metabolites were detected in plasma and 4 in urine. Milk had only minor effects on the plasma pharmacokinetics of an (epi)catechin-O-sulfate and had no effect on an O-methyl-(epi)catechin-O-sulfate. However, milk significantly lowered the excretion of 4 urinary flavan-3-ol metabolites from 18.3% to 10.5% of the ingested dose (P = 0.016). Studies that showed protective effects of cocoa and those that showed no effect of milk on bioavailability used products that have a much higher flavan-3-ol content than does the commercial cocoa used in the present study. Conclusions: Most studies of the protective effects of cocoa have used drinks with a very high flavan-3-ol content. Whether similar protective effects are associated with the consumption of many commercial chocolate and cocoa products containing substantially lower amounts of flavan-3-ols, especially when absorption at lower doses is obstructed by milk, remains to be determined. © 2009 American Society for Nutrition.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:25:47Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-18430
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:25:47Z
publishDate 2009
publisher American Society for Nutrition
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-184302017-09-13T13:43:52Z Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans Mullen, W. Borges, G. Donovan, J. Edwards, Christine Serafini, M. Lean, M. Crozier, A. Background: Cocoa drinks containing flavan-3-ols are associated with many health benefits, and conflicting evidence exists as to whether milk adversely affects the bioavailability of flavan-3-ols. Objective: The objective was to determine the effect of milk on the bioavailability of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites. Design: Nine human volunteers followed a low-flavonoid diet for 2 d before drinking 250 mL of a cocoa beverage, made with water or milk, that contained 45 µmol (-)-epicatechin and (-)-catechin. Plasma and urine samples were collected for 24 h, and flavan-3-ol metabolites were analyzed by HPLC with photodiode array and mass spectrometric detection. Results: Milk affected neither gastric emptying nor the transit time through the small intestine. Two flavan-3-ol metabolites were detected in plasma and 4 in urine. Milk had only minor effects on the plasma pharmacokinetics of an (epi)catechin-O-sulfate and had no effect on an O-methyl-(epi)catechin-O-sulfate. However, milk significantly lowered the excretion of 4 urinary flavan-3-ol metabolites from 18.3% to 10.5% of the ingested dose (P = 0.016). Studies that showed protective effects of cocoa and those that showed no effect of milk on bioavailability used products that have a much higher flavan-3-ol content than does the commercial cocoa used in the present study. Conclusions: Most studies of the protective effects of cocoa have used drinks with a very high flavan-3-ol content. Whether similar protective effects are associated with the consumption of many commercial chocolate and cocoa products containing substantially lower amounts of flavan-3-ols, especially when absorption at lower doses is obstructed by milk, remains to be determined. © 2009 American Society for Nutrition. 2009 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18430 10.3945/ajcn.2008.27339 American Society for Nutrition unknown
spellingShingle Mullen, W.
Borges, G.
Donovan, J.
Edwards, Christine
Serafini, M.
Lean, M.
Crozier, A.
Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
title Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
title_full Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
title_fullStr Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
title_full_unstemmed Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
title_short Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
title_sort milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/18430