Table 1.

Beneficial effects of cocoa flavanols on the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

PD	AD
Inhibition of 5-S-cysteinil-dihydrobenzothiazine-mediated neuronal damage (110)	Activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on amyloid (A)β plaque-treated cells or on Aβ oligomer-treated cells (116)
Anti-inflammatory effect mediated by quercetin on glial cells, behaving as certain kinase inhibitors, thus preventing excitotoxic death in neurons (112, 113)	Activation of NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylase enzymes known as sirtuins (118)
	Reduction of hyperglycemia and cholinesterase activity in the hippocampus with improvement of cognitive functions (121)