Mars discovers the recipe for a new class of medicine in cocoa compounds
The idea that cocoa could actually be good for you may sound like a guilty chocoholic's fantasy.
But Mars, the confectionery maker, will today unveil research showing that cocoa compounds could help treat diabetes, strokes and vascular disease.
The company said it would also reveal that it has discovered how to replicate such compounds know as flavanols a finding that holds out the prospect of the creation of “a potential major new class of medications” available for development by pharmaceutical companies. The company will also tell a gathering of scientists in Switzerland today that it is already in “serious discussions” with pharmaceutical companies about licensing the development of these “synthesised flavanols”.
“The mounting scientific evidence on cocoa flavanols is extraordinary,” said Norm Hollenberg, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, which shared some of the research with Mars.
“This is a scientific breakthrough that could well lead to a medical breakthrough.”
Scientific studies have shown health benefits from eating flavanols: plant chemicals that occur not only in cocoa beans but also in other foods such as green tea, red wine and tomatoes.
But the application of flavanols in medicines offers for the first time a chance to use them directly to treat the sick rather than simply as part of diets to help avoid the onset of illnesses.
Mars has patented the method for replicating naturally-occuring flavanols, enhancing the commercial potential of the discovery.
Many large pharmaceutical companies are struggling to come up with new blockbuster drugs at a time when existing products are coming off patent protection.
Harold Schmitz, Mars chief science officer, told the Financial Times: “We are in a position that none of us could ever have dreamed of. We have a valuable asset that's not just about food, it's about the pharmaceutical sector.”
Mars is at the forefront of such research because ownership by the Mars family has allowed it to invest without recourse to external shareholders. The discovery of the health-giving properties of cocoa flavanols comes after 15 years of research by Mars, in conjunction with scientists at Harvard University and UC Davis, University of California.
Worried in the late 1960s that the cocoa plant was prone to diseases, Mars began working to understand how the plants could be insulated against disease. In the course of the research, Mars scientists discovered that cocoa flavanols could relax human blood vessels key to improving circulation and vascular health.
The confectionery company then found that the flavanols had the same effect in thinning blood as aspirin, a substance commonly used to prevent heart disease.
Mr Schmitz said: “We've just been very lucky to stumble upon a new class of compounds that deliver the biological activity and safety profile that allow [companies] to develop new classes of drugs.”
“巧克力可能有助于治疗糖尿病”
可可也许对身体有好处，这听上去像一个内疚的巧克力爱好者的白日梦。
但糖果制造商玛氏(Mars)今天将发布的一项研究结果显示，可可化合物可能有助于治疗糖尿病、中风和血管疾病。
该公司表示，这项研究结果还将透露，玛氏已发现复制这种称为黄烷醇(flavanols)的化合物的方法。这一发现为制药企业提供了开发“一类主要新药”的前景。公司今天还将在瑞士的一次科学家聚会上发言，表示公司已在与制药企业进行“认真讨论”，商讨开发这些“合成黄烷醇”的授权事宜。
“可可黄烷醇方面的科学证据越来越多，非同寻常，”哈佛医学院医学教授诺姆霍伦贝格(Norm Hollenberg)表示。哈佛医学院与玛氏共同承担一部分研究。
“这是一项科学突破，很有可能导致医学突破。”
科学研究已显示，食用黄烷醇对人体健康有益。黄烷醇这种植物化学品不仅来自可可豆，还来自其它食品，如绿茶、红葡萄酒和西红柿。
但黄烷醇作为药物使用首次给人们提供了一个机会，让人们用黄烷醇直接治疗病人，而不仅是把它作为保健食谱的一部分，帮助避免疾病的发生。
玛氏已将复制天然黄烷醇的方法注册了专利，增强了这一发现的商业潜力。
许多大型制药企业现有产品的专利保护即将到期，目前在推出新的主打药物方面有困难。
玛氏首席科学官哈罗德施米茨(Harold Schmitz)告诉《金融时报》：“我们没有人能梦想到我们会处于现在的地位。我们拥有这样一份有价值的资产，它不仅涉及食品，还涉及制药领域。”
