Guest:
Dr. Joshua D. Lambert is a professor in the Department of Food Science and a member of the Center for Molecular Toxicology and Carcinogenesis at the Pennsylvania State University.Dr. Lambert received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Arizona.Dr. Lambert conducted post-doctoral research on cancer prevention in the Department of Chemical Biology at Rutgers University.Dr. Lambert’s research program studies the prevention of cancer and metabolic syndrome by phytochemicals in tea, cocoa, berries, and soy with a focus on developing fundamental efficacy and mechanism of action data using preclinical models of disease.In addition, his research group has examined the bioavailability and safety of alternative dosage forms of dietary components.A growing area of research for his lab is understanding the impact of factors such as plant genetics, growing environment, and post-harvest processing has on the chemistry and bioactivity of medicinal and food plants.He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 16 book chapters.Between 2014 and 2017, Dr. Lambert was selected by Thomson Reuters for inclusion in The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.His research group has received funding from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the National Cancer Institute, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the American Institute for Cancer Research, as well as various commodity boards and industrial partners.
Episode Transcript:
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: Welcome to 12 Degrees. I'm Lindsey Whissel Fenton and this week I wanted to share some interesting research related to the physical degree of wellness. A balanced gut microbiome is an essential aspect of wellness. In addition to promoting optimal digestion and nutrient absorption, it also supports a healthy inflammatory response when it comes to nurturing your gut health. What you add into your diet may be just as important as what you cut out. Recommendations for improving gut health often include prebiotic foods like asparagus and garlic and probiotic foods like sauerkraut and yogurt. But here's one you may not have heard before: cocoa. A team of researchers at Penn State, led by Professor of Food Science Joshua Lambert have been studying the effects of dietary cocoa on gut health, Josh. Thanks for being here.
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: Josh, I must tell you that if you can offer me research-backed encouragement that I should eat more cocoa, you're going to be my new favorite human.
Joshua Lambert: Yeah, I did research on green tea for a long time, and then, when I came to Penn State, we started to work on cocoa and chocolate and people were very excited about cocoa and chocolate, much more universally so than green tea.
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: Understandable. What are you looking at in your current research?
Joshua Lambert: Most of what we do is looking at the effect of dietary supplementation with cocoa powder and looking at whether or not they're able to reduce some of the pathologies that go along with obesity. And we use laboratory models. We don't do human research.
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: What have you found so far?
Joshua Lambert: In the studies that we've done, it looks like dietary supplementation with something equivalent to a human dose of around 8-10 tablespoons of cocoa powder reduces chronic inflammation related to obesity, reduces liver injury related to obesity, and seems to improve gut health.
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: Well, and it sounds like it's working out great for the mice. What does that mean for us humans?
Joshua Lambert: I think the processes that we're looking at and the things that we think cocoa might be doing of analogies in people, So, one of the things that we think cocoa does is that it reduces your ability to digest fat and complex carbohydrates so that stuff doesn't get digested, and if it doesn't get digested, it doesn't get absorbed and the calories that go along with it end up just passing out of your body. That then leads to downstream effects on inflammation and these other pathologies. Cause you're preventing the absorption of these calories coming from the diet. And so, the body starts to mobilize calories that its stored as fat.
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: That is really cool. So, does that mean I can start downing a nightly cup of hot cocoa in the name of supporting my microbiome and overall health?
Joshua Lambert: Yes, I think so—
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: Really?
Joshua Lambert: —yes. The one caveat…so, the kind of research that we do gets me in trouble a lot, because people will look at it, and they'll say, “Well, the mice stayed on that high, fat diet the entire study. So, does that mean that I can just include cocoa as part of my overall diet, which is not very healthy, and has extra calories and stuff like that, and that will make me healthier?” And I have to say, “Well, yeah, probably if what we do in the lab really translates out to exactly what happens in humans.” But I always put it in the caveat of, “If you can, you should try to eat more fruits and vegetables. You should try to get more exercise. You should try to eat a little bit less overall. And then, if you want to consume chocolate consuming chocolate in moderation, looks like it has beneficial effects, as far as enhancing your health.”
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: So, understandably, it sounds like the recommendation is that this could be a helpful augmentation to other wellness strategies, but we shouldn't look at it like some sort of magic pill.
Joshua Lambert: Right.
Lindsey Whissel Fenton: Got it. Joshua Lambert is a professor of food science at Penn State. His research team recently received a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue their work studying health benefits of dietary cocoa. This interview is part of the podcast 12 Degrees. To learn more, visit wpsu.org slash 12 degrees. I'm Lindsey Whissel Fenton, WPSU.
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