Cocoa Flavanols Could More Than Double Cells Associated With Repair and Maintenance of Blood Vessels, According to Mars, Inc Research

First-of-its-kind research suggests cocoa flavanols could be an important part of a healthy diet for people with cardiovascular disease

MCLEAN, Virginia, July 6, 2010 - New findings indicate that cocoa flavanols may be an important part of a
healthy diet for people with cardiovascular disease, which affects more than
80 million Americans, according to research by a team of
internationally-renowned researchers, including scientists from Mars,
Incorporated.

The breakthrough study conducted at the University of California San
Francisco and published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of
Cardiology (JACC) found that daily cocoa flavanol consumption more than
doubled the number of circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) in the blood. These
cells have been shown to have vessel repair and maintenance functions, which
can contribute to healthy blood vessels. Poor blood vessel function is
recognized as an early stage in the development process of cardiovascular
diseases (CVD), including coronary artery disease. Increasing levels of CACs
have also been associated with a decreased risk of death from cardiovascular
causes, according to a 2005 study published in the New England Journal of
Medicine.

Other cutting-edge research has demonstrated that physical activity and
experimental drug therapy can increase CAC levels, however the study
published in JACC is the first to demonstrate such benefits from a dietary
intervention. In this randomized, double-masked, controlled dietary
intervention trial, study participants drank either a high-flavanol cocoa
drink, containing cocoa made with the Mars Cocoapro(R) process (which
guarantees a consistent flavanol level), or a low-flavanol nutrient-matched
control cocoa drink, twice a day for 30 days.

The study also showed that drinking high-flavanol cocoa significantly
reduced systolic blood pressure, an important risk factor for heart disease
and stroke, and improved blood vessel function by 47% compared to
low-flavanol consumption in optimally-medicated adults with severe
cardiovascular disease. This research supports findings previously published
by Mars scientists and their academic collaborators, who have found a
positive correlation between cocoa flavanols consumed and subsequent
improvements in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a measure of vessel health,
i.e. the ability of a vessel to relax.

"It's the best of both worlds. It's not often that we're able to identify
a natural food compound that can demonstrate a benefit on top of traditional
medical treatment," said Carl Keen, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Internal
Medicine at University of California Davis and one of the study authors. "And
perhaps most importantly, for the first time, we found that cocoa flavanols
might even directly mobilize important cells that could repair damaged blood
vessels. The benefits are substantial, without any observed adverse effects,"
added study author Christian Heiss, MD, Heinrich-Heine University.

"Together with academic partners, Mars Incorporated has been studying
cocoa flavanols for nearly two decades," said Hagen Schroeter, PhD, Mars,
Incorporated scientist and study co-author. "This is one of the most
fascinating and potentially far-reaching findings we've uncovered in recent
years, opening a completely new avenue of research to understand how cocoa
flavanols might benefit human health. Of course, more research is needed to
confirm and build upon these observations, but we're intrigued by the
potential for flavanols in the context of dietary and pharmaceutical
strategies for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases."

Cocoa Flavanols: The Body of Evidence

A number of previously published studies already suggest that the
consumption of cocoa flavanols can have important beneficial effects on the
function of the body's network of blood vessels. Yet, contrary to statements
often made in the popular media, the collective research demonstrates that
the cardiovascular effects of cocoa flavanols are independent of general
"antioxidant" effects that cocoa flavanols exhibit in a test tube, outside of
the body. The body of research not only suggests that these cocoa flavanols
may provide a dietary approach to maintaining cardiovascular function and
health, but also points to new possibilities for cocoa flavanol-based
interventions associated with age-related blood vessel dysfunction and
vascular complications of type 2 diabetes.

Mars Commitment to Cocoa Research

The research on cocoa and cocoa flavanols is substantial, and Mars,
Incorporated has led in this effort, holding more than 80 patents and
publishing or supporting more than 100 scientific publications resulting from
work with institutions around the world including the University of
Düsseldorf in Germany and the University of California, Davis. While the
research is clear on the link between cocoa flavanols and human health, these
plant compounds are easily destroyed during normal processing. Building off
of years of scientific research and manufacturing experience, Mars,
Incorporated scientists have perfected a process to reduce the cocoa bean's
exposure to high temperatures, helping protect the cocoa flavanols inside.
The proprietary, patented Mars, Incorporated Cocoapro(R) process ensures
delivery of a cocoa ingredient guaranteed to have consistently high levels of
cocoa flavanols. To read more about the science on cocoa flavanols, visit
www.HealthyCocoa.com.

Source: Heiss C, Jahn S, Taylor M, Real WM, Angeli FS, Wong ML, Amabil N,
Prasad M, Rassaf T, Ottaviani JI, Mihardja S, Keen CL, Springer ML, Boyle A,
Grossman W, Glantz SA, Schroeter H, Yeghiazarians Y. Improvement of
endothelial function with dietary flavanols is associated with mobilization
of circulating angiogenic cells in patients with coronary artery disease.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010;56:218-224.

Werner N, Kosiol S, Schiegl T, Ahlers P, Walenta K, Link A, Bohm M,
Nickenig G Circulating endothelial progenitor cells and cardiovascular. New
England Journal of Medicine .2005:353;10.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and
employing more than 65,000 associates at over 230 sites, including 135
factories, in 68 countries worldwide. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia,
U.S.A., Mars, Incorporated is one of the world's largest food companies,
generating global revenues of more than US$28 billion annually and operating
in six business segments: Chocolate, Petcare, Wrigley Gum and Confections,
Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. These segments produce some of the world's
leading brands: Chocolate - M&M'S(R), SNICKERS(R), DOVE(R), GALAXY(R),
MARS(R), MILKY WAY(R) and TWIX(R); Petcare - PEDIGREE(R), WHISKAS(R),
SHEBA(R), CESAR(R) and ROYAL CANIN(R); Wrigley - ORBIT(R), EXTRA(R),
STARBURST(R), DOUBLEMINT(R) and SKITTLES(R); Food - UNCLE BEN'S(R),
DOLMIO(R), EBLY(R), MASTERFOODS(R) and SEEDS OF CHANGE(R); Drinks - KLIX(R)
and FLAVIA(R); Symbioscience - WISDOM PANEL(TM), SERAMIS(R), and
CIRKUHEALTH(R).

Lori Fromm, MS, RD of Weber Shandwick, +1-312-988-2436, lfromm at webershandwick.com, for Mars, Incorporated